


Black

by Mayclore



Series: Colors [3]
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Gen, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-09
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-28 23:03:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 133,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/997969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayclore/pseuds/Mayclore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fuyu embarks on her new life, the first goal of which is to win the hearts of the vast majority of the people of Ponyville. Little does she know that a well-meaning Princess will bring it all crashing down around her - and the friends she holds dear. Humanized.  Sequel to Gray.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The World's Most Dangerous Barista

Fuyu couldn't decide what sound was more comforting: the gentle clack of her magic stone on the armrest of the chair, or the seemingly endless clipping noise that was coming from behind her. Rarity was working her magic – literal and figurative – on the pale woman's hair, causing an avalanche of black and blue locks to float to the tile floor.

"Why is this necessary, again?" she asked, being sure to keep her head still. She allowed herself to glance down at her bobbing palm once she realized she was keeping time with the music coming from the radio in the corner. "And I think I might like this song."

"It is rather catchy." Rarity paused and moved back to get a better picture of Fuyu's hair. "That's shoulder length. We'll stop there for now." She went to trimming the top of her head. "It's necessary because you simply  _must_  look good for your new job."

A substantial amount of willpower was needed for her to avoid shooting an annoyed look over her shoulder at the dressmaker. "And why is  _that_  necessary?"

"It's all part of Pinkie's plan to rehabilitate your image." Rarity flicked a tilted sneer at one set of hairs that wouldn't stay down. She used her magic to press on them until, finally, she snipped them away altogether. "That'll grow back."

"I can fix it," Fuyu assured her flatly, then her tone changed. "I don't see why my image needs rehabilitating in the first place. I feel like I'm being blamed for saving the town."

"Darling, we're a tiny hamlet in the very literal middle of nowhere. There are no secrets. Everyone is probably just mad you managed to keep such a large one for so long." A few more snips and adjustments brought a cascade of bangs in front of the pale woman's left eye. "Oh, I like that. You look mysterious."

She couldn't help but issue an uncertain smile while staring at herself in the mirror. "If you say so. I'm not used to having hair in my face."

"It's quite stylish. I think we're done with the shaping. What shall we do about the color? We can go all black, or..." She paused as Fuyu lifted her left hand, then ran it along the blue stripe that buffered her left ear. It was black after emerging from under her palm. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know. I just thought about it." She copied the process with her right hand and dipped her head to see the results better in the mirror. "I miss the blue."

Rarity could only blink with amazement at the display. "Can you reverse it? If not, I have some lovely dye we can use. Plenty of shades of blue!"

Her answer was a palm swept across the bangs that covered her eye, a motion that changed them to an icy shade of turquoise. "That's better."

"Wha—good grief, darling." Rarity stroked her chin while evaluating the new look. "I must admit, the splash of color is quite appealing. Shall we call it done, then?"

"Yes." Fuyu rose from the chair, using her magic to detach the barber's cloth and hang it on the back. "I'm still surprised you cut hair."

Rarity let a pleasant cackle slip as she started to sweep the floor with her power. "Fashion is not a bolt of fabric and thread alone, my dear. Besides, mother simply  _had_  to pass on her craft to one of us, and Sweetie cannot be trusted with a pair of scissors."

The pale woman smiled again, rubbing the back of her neck to deal with how light her head felt. "You tease your sister so much. I like her. She's one of the few people besides you guys that will even give me the time of day."

"Sweetie's a bit biased. After all, you did save her from execution." The memory of that day caused her to grit her teeth with rage. " _Damn_  that woman." After clearing her throat and regaining her poise, she continued. "Ponyville is a stubborn bunch." She issued a few pats on Fuyu's shoulder for comfort – and also to flick away an errant loose hair – and went back to sweeping. "Pinkie knows what she's doing. Just be patient."

"I will never understand people." Fuyu reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out the gleaming medal Celestia had given her over two weeks prior. The silence made her ears prick until she was forced to take her eyes off the thing and look at her friend. "What?"

"Welcome to life, darling," she replied with a wry smirk. "You'd best be getting on. Twilight wants to give you a speech before you get started."

"I should have known." Fuyu meant to roll her eyes, but it showed up as a glance at the ceiling instead. She dropped the medal back into her pocket and started for the back door. "All right. Thank you for the haircut."

Outside, the air bore a chilly edge. Even though the sun had been up for two hours, its angle in the sky made it seem distant and weak. Autumn was just beginning the process of fading into winter, and every tree in sight that could bore some color of leaf besides green. These were seasons unlike the pale woman had ever known. Unlike the endless, muggy summers of her time in the south, her first in the center of the country was a staunchly hot period that seemed to vanish into thin air. The fall had seemingly just arrived, and yet it appeared destined to fade just as quickly. The way things changed in this region was very unfamiliar to her brain. What wasn't unfamiliar, however, was the collective attitude of the locals to her presence. There weren't many others wandering about, but the few that were all gave Fuyu looks nearly as cold as the weather. While a precious few of them were friendly – such as the schoolteacher with striped hair whose name escaped her – most of the townsfolk were distant at best, and vaguely hostile at worst. A friendly wave was sent her way; upon returning it, she found herself looking at Lyra, another one of the pleasant minority.

"How's it going?" she asked, walking up to fully say hello. Taken aback by the change in appearance, she stopped and gawked for a moment. "Whoa. Nice haircut."

"Thank you." She peered out through her blue bangs and sighed. "Where's Bon Bon?"

"Probably at the shop by now." A brief, contemplative tap on the chin preceded an embarrassed look. "I'm so late. She's gonna kill me."

"You should go, then." Fuyu thumbed over her left shoulder back toward downtown. "Tell her I said hi."

"I will." Lyra was gone with a toothy grin and an excited wave, jogging down the sidewalk. The pale woman listened to the scuffing sound of her sneakers before starting off. It was a noise which only attracted more unhappiness; the reason she was on foot herself was directly related to her standing with the locals. Her best efforts went to rationalizing and dealing with the situation, but as she had confessed to the librarian previously, it was all beginning to grate on her.

As she thought on it, she figured that Pinkie must have gotten wind of her feelings and thus come up with her idea. Shaking her head with that conclusion, Fuyu walked faster toward the library tree.

Upon arrival, she peeked through a window and found Twilight in the public room, seated with a grave-looking hardbound book in her hands. She almost dropped it when the pale woman came completely through the door. "Oh! There you-" The new look made her trail off. "Wow. Is there anything appearance-related that woman isn't good at?"

"It was a joint effort." A lifted hand, sheathed in magic, pressed the door closed. Now out of sight of the town, she finally detached herself from the floor and floated over to the nearest empty chair. "When do you think it will be  _appropriate_  for me to fly again?" she asked, complete with air quotes for emphasis. "I don't think walking is helping my image, and it's slow."

Twilight snickered and slapped her book closed. "Oh, Fu. I didn't say you couldn't hover, I just thought it might be a good idea to not, you know..." Her right hand waved around in circles, as if trying to fan the right word over to her tongue through the aether.

Fuyu helped her along while getting comfortable in her seat. "...do the Rainbow Dash thing?"

"Yes. That." She looked over and smiled, but in the back of her mind it was difficult to ignore how imposing Fuyu looked, even sitting down. "Are you nervous about today?"

"Why would I be nervous? I took on an army of mobsters, got beaten up by a tornado, then fought a magician that held power comparable to my own." Her eyes slid down as she queried herself, and up again as she realized the truth. "Yes. Some."

"It's fine. Everyone gets nervous about this sort of thing." Twilight rose and began to pace, her sensible heels gently clacking on the wood. "All you have to remember is—huh?" A snapping sound drew her focus back to the pale woman, who had crossed her legs and put on a wry smile. "What?"

"This must be the speech Rarity told me about," she replied, that grin getting a little wider.

Twilight huffed with mock annoyance, but returned the expression. "It's not a speech, it's just a word of advice. Or two. Or twelve. If I wanted to give you a speech, you wouldn't be out of here until past lunchtime." They both laughed for a moment before she pressed ahead. "Seriously." She made a brief show of clearing her throat before the pacing started anew. "Pinkie probably already filled you in on what the Cakes want you to do, so you'll be fine."

Fuyu slid an interjection in before the librarian could proceed off that fallacy. "Actually, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing at the shop," she said, hand raised.

"What? Um. Well." Scratching at her navy locks and staring up, her brain scrambled for new words of wisdom. "Er, then don't be afraid to ask questions. Basically, be nice – like you usually are – and dependable, and you'll be fine. Also, if someone tries to be a jerk, then _you_  should be polite. That's the best way to defuse the situation."

During her talk, Twilight had somehow ended up behind Fuyu's chair, forcing her to look back over her shoulder. "I think I understand the social interactions, just not what I'm supposed to be  _doing_ , exactly."

"Oh, right. I'm sure she'll fill you in on the way there. Unless she's too pumped to remember, that is." Smiling, she came around and seated herself again. "I'm surprised she's not here yet, to be honest. Sounded like she was going to pop over the phone earlier."

A rapid tapping rang out from the door. Twilight answered it at range, using her magic to pull it open. A tittering Pinkie Pie burst into the room, wearing blue overalls over a pink, long-sleeved shirt and yellow sneakers. Her hair was even more poofy and erratic than usual, flying all over the place as she ran over to the two. "Ohmygosh guys I am  _so excited_!"

Fuyu looked across at Twilight, then at the happy baker. "Really?" she smirked, her sarcasm utterly flawless.

"Yeah! Today is the first day of the town actually getting to know the real you!" In true Pinkie form, this revelation demanded an added hug for the pale woman. Like Lyra, she had to blink and take in the new hairstyle. "Wowie. You look nice!"

"Thank you." She stood up with Pinkie still attached; as usual, that made her giggle and wiggle her lower legs. "Ready to go?"

"Yep! Let's do this!" The baker was gone nearly as soon as she dropped to the floor, shooting back outside with remarkable speed.

Twilight stared out the open portal with blank eyes. "Good luck," she said, finally, waving up at Fuyu. "See you in a few hours."

The pale woman drew a sharp breath and nodded. "Mm. Here goes nothing."

By the time Fuyu caught up, Pinkie was already in her car, caterwauling to the unbearably chipper tune that poured out of the radio. She got into the white coupe and looked around. The interior was oddly gray and even cleaner than Rarity's car. It also bore little touches of color, from the red balloon air freshener on the rear-view mirror, to seemingly random stickers on the glove compartment door. Her nose filled up with the smell of some flower.

Without warning, the baker turned the radio down and gripped the steering wheel. "This is gonna be great! You're gonna make friends and make money and do stuff and help people and everything! I'm so glad Mr. Cake hired you."

"Speaking of that, what did he hire me to  _do_ , again?" she asked, cutting Pinkie off before she became too agitated to shut up. "Nobody's told me."

An explanation came as they pulled out into the street and drove away from the library tree. "Oh, it's super easy. All you've gotta do is man the register and take orders and that sort of thing. I'm gonna be in the back 'cause Mrs. Cake needs me to help with the actual  _baking_ stuff since Nightmare Night is coming and people want candy by the cartload!" By the time she finished talking, her joy bubbled up in various giggles and other assorted noises. "See, we've got like a little cafe in the front, and that's where I usually am most of the time. But the holidays are coming and I'll have to use my super confectionery smarts to help the Cakes keep up with their orders."

Most of Pinkie's frantic speech rolled past Fuyu's mind like water off a duck's back. She was far too busy picturing Sugarcube Corner in her head to get an exact idea of where the job would be taking her. "I see. So all I have to do is stand behind that glass counter with the strange pies?"

"Pretty much! There's a fancy coffee thingy I'll have to teach you how to run but it's easy too. You can use your magic and not even have to move!" They were already pulling into the parking lot by now, an occurrence that made the baker emit another happy sound. "Ready to go?" she asked, looking over with a grin so wide her face seemed ready to split open.

The expression made Fuyu a bit unsure. "Yes?" Both women exited the car. "I could have flown here. Or walked. You didn't need to pick me up."

"Don't be silly! We're co-workers now, we totally have to carpool!" She skipped ahead and entered. The pale woman only followed her after a moment and with an odd look in her eyes.

Mrs. Cake waved at them from behind the counter. "Good morning, dearie! Ready for your first day?" she asked, almost as gleeful as the other pink-haired woman.

A genuine smile arrived; while she assumed the Cakes would be on her side, given their constant exposure to Pinkie, it was nice to have actual confirmation. "I suppose." She circled the counter and stood there, peering at the register. "This doesn't seem too difficult to manage."

"Oh, not at all. We decided to ease you in." She ceded the space to the pale woman and went to find her apron. "We're at that odd little time of year where it's too cold for milkshakes and too hot for cocoa, so most everyone ends up asking for coffee and a bagel. You don't need to worry about the food, we'll take care of that. If you run out of something up here, all you need to do is call the order back to one of us." She laughed at Pinkie's forceful thumbs up, then motioned at a gold-plated contraption on the wall directly behind the counter. "This is the cappuccino machine, by the way. Pinkie? Would you mi-" She jerked back as the young baker dashed between them and slid to a stop by the machine. "I didn't even need to ask, did I. Well, I'm off to go see to that order of key lime pie. Have fun!"

"Bye?" Fuyu turned her attention back to Pinkie. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were related."

"You're silly. I'ma tell you a secret; before I moved in upstairs, Mrs. Cake was kind of a grumpy grump. Like, you know that old lady with the cooking show that yells at everyone? Kinda like that." She was bent down and rubbing her chin as she stared at the device. "Okay! Coffee thing 101! This is the regular coffee button. This is the frothy button, for frothiness. This is the...I dunno what this one does, honestly. I think it shoots out pure caffeine.  _This_  one is for the milk, 'cause people like milk with coffee! This is the thingy attached to the thingy for iced coffee. And this is the drawer where the cream and sugar are."

Her icy blue eyes followed along as Pinkie pointed out each little knob and switch. She filed the information away and nodded. "Okay. I think I've got it."

"Great! If you need any help, just pop back into the kitchen!" They both snapped their eyes to the rear entryway as Mister Cake yelped out about a fire of some sort. "Oh boy, I gotta go. Go get 'em, Fufu!"

Fuyu's nosed crinkled with the smell of smoke, but she nodded and waved as Pinkie dashed out of sight. "Right." She took up position at the register and lightly laid her palms on the counter top. Enveloped by the quiet – or perhaps soothed by the dulcet background tones of Pinkie and the Cakes at work – she allowed herself to think. Her hand slipped into her pocket and drew out the medal. "Where's the other stuff you promised me?" she asked the thing, brow furrowed. "What's taking you so long?" A cheerful ringing from the front of the shop drew her attention. Her eyes drifted up to see Applejack wandering through the door.

The blonde's reaction was the automatic greeting of a friend. "Howdy!" It took her a moment to realize that something was a little bit off. "Wait, what're y'all doin' back there?"

"I work here now." She dropped the medal back into her pocket and tried to put on what she assumed would be a polite, professional guise. "It's my first day."

Applejack doffed her hat to confusedly scratch at her ponytail, then slapped it on again and blinked. "Y'all gotta be kiddin." She watched Fuyu shake her head slowly. "No? Seriously? When did all this happen?"

"I believe Pinkie has been planning it for about a week. I'm not much less surprised than you are." Fuyu idly tapped her crystals on the counter and glanced about.

"She kept a  _secret_?! For seven whole days?" Confusion yielded to shock as the blonde dramatically placed her hands on her cheeks. "I'm impressed."

The pale woman couldn't help but laugh some herself. "You're not the only one. I believe I'm supposed to ask you what you want now."

"Oh, right. Small coffee, black, straight up. None of that sissy stuff. I like my pep bitter."

"Okay." That last word tickled her mind in such a way that her shoulders slumped. Another reminder of her night with the Princess – and another reminder that she still hadn't delivered on her promise for more answers. Applejack didn't catch her wilting, so she turned quickly to the machine before it could be brought up. Smears of black shot from her upraised right palm, grabbing a cup, placing it under the correct nozzle, and pressing the appropriate button almost all at the same time. Once full, she floated the full container over and set it before the blonde. "Here you are." She glanced up above the machine at the large placard that displayed the prices. "It costs that much."

"Heh, I know." Applejack reached into her jeans and dropped a ratty-looking bill on the counter. "That's about the fastest I've ever seen anybody make a cup of coffee." She took it up and blew the wisps of steam away while watching Fuyu count out the change – another action assisted by her flying black appendages. "Dang, Fu. Y'all are gonna run Pinkie out of a job."

"I doubt it. I'm only doing this because she thinks the town will like me more if they see me here." She thwacked the register shut, withdrew the ebony streaks into her palm, and sighed, though the noise was clipped by her looking back at the kitchen. A loud crash from that direction was the thing that interrupted her, so loud it almost made the blonde drop her coffee. "What are they doing back there?"

"Sounds like they're bakin' a cake outta dynamite." Applejack took an exploratory sip from her cup and grinned. "Phew! This stuff'll put hair on your hair! Welp, I'm out. See y'all later, and give 'em hell!"

"I'm not sure the Cakes want me giving anyone hell, but thank you." She waved goodbye with a vague smirk and soon found herself alone again. While she could hear more unpleasant sounds from the kitchen, she was unwilling to abandon her post to check on things.

_Orders are orders._

"Seems like the only thing I'm good at is taking orders," she mumbled in reply to her consciousness. "I'm not going to be like any of these people. I wish they'd just come to terms with it."

Another happy ring snapped her out of her muttering reverie, but the arrival was something of a surprise. A casually dressed Trixie sauntered past the chairs and tables, although for some reason or another she was wearing the gaudy hat she used for her various performances. She blinked and stopped in her tracks after laying eyes on Fuyu. "Color Trixie confused," she said, walking up. "What are you doing here?"

The pale woman was already tired of answering that question. For everyone's sake, however, she brushed aside her displeasure and tried to smile. "This is my new job. What are  _you_  doing here? I thought you were going back to your traveling shows."

"Someone hasn't been watching the news. Trixie is rather infamous these days, so she believes it best to lay low for a while until things cool off." As if to emphasize the point, her eyes darted about suspiciously. "She also managed to procure an apartment for very low rent, and is frankly tired is sleeping in a hotel. Or a too-small traveling trailer."

Fuyu nodded idly as she spoke, but the revelation of her new living arrangements was enough to snatch her into focus. "Really? Where did you end up?"

"Trixie's apartment happens to be in the same building as Rainbow Dash." Her purple eyes rolled as she uttered the name. "In fact, Rainbow is directly above Trixie, and trust her, the woman seems none too pleased with the arrangement."

Arms crossed, the pale woman put on another faint smile. "I wonder why."

Trixie slumped over helplessly, resting her arms and elbows on the counter top. "No doubt. Trixie is still trying to atone." Her head tilted up and peered at the menu. "Medium iced coffee, please." A tray of baked goods, enclosed in glass and resting on the other end of the counter from the register, caught her eye. "And that chocolate-glazed doughnut. Please." Startled, she stepped back as Fuyu raised a hand and let her awful black assistants do most of the work. In the space of twenty seconds, Trixie received her doughnut – via magic and on a small paper plate, since not even Fuyu herself knew what eating the black goo would do to someone – and her cup of chilly coffee, complete with lid and straw. "Good grief. You're even terrifying as a barista."

"I'm efficient." Both of them glanced up at the menu above. "Money, please." After a brief pause, she hastily tacked on "I think I'm glad you stayed around."

"And why is that?" the magician asked around a mouthful of doughnut, and while fishing in her pockets for cash.

"Because you understand what's like to be despised." Too much emotion welled up for her to keep facing the magician, so she spun on her heel with fists clenched and tried to compose herself.

A loud swallow preceded Trixie's reply. "Give it time. They'll come around. I came around, and you tried to kill me." Her added laugh didn't seem to have any effect, so she reached across and tapped the pale woman's shoulder. "At least you have friends. That's more than I can say."

Fuyu turned around at last, but her face was downtrodden and weary. "I don't know. Lately, I've been thinking of you as a friend. You've been nice to me a lot."

Trixie's face brightened. "Much appreciated. Think positive and be patient. Things will change."

"As Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rarity have told me respectively." More crashes erupted from the kitchen, prompting both of them to wince. "I'd better go see what's happening." She counted out the change as Trixie paid up, then slipped out from behind the counter and into the kitchen. "Pinkie? Is everything all right?"

Trixie took her leave and her coffee, finishing off her doughnut as she walked back toward the door. Once outside, she got a few odd looks from the passersby – glances that were not far off from the ones Fuyu had been subjected to earlier. "Perhaps Fuyu has a point." A long drag of iced coffee served to distract her from the unhappy populace as she headed back to her apartment. Before she could cross the street, however, a tune began to leak from her back pocket – the same one Rarity had on while cutting the pale woman's hair. "Hmm?" She drew the phone out and peered at the screen. It was the same model Twilight and company had, though hers was clad in cornflower blue and yellow stars, much like the obnoxious hat on her head. On the display was a text message.

_Have you talked to Winter today?_

Her cup began to float while she used both hands to type her reply. "Yes, just a moment ago," she said, speaking the words lowly as she typed them. "The way the town has reacted to her power is wearing her down. It's hard to miss. I also just found out she's gotten a job at Sugarcube Corner."

_I hope that helps her get acquainted with everyone. She deserves a mundane life. At any rate, a daily check-up is not the only reason I've contacted you._

She kept her reply short and sweet. "Oh? Why, then?"

_I need you to travel to Canterlot to pick up the papers. It is my intention to give Winter as much of the truth as I can slip past my sister._

Trixie looked about as if she thought she were being spied on. Satisfied that wasn't the case, she took another drink and typed in her reply. "I am at your disposal, Princess Luna."


	2. Suppression

The next morning found Twilight and Fuyu seated in the kitchen at the little round table. The former was fussing with her phone, nose-deep in a furious text exchange with Rainbow Dash about the fact that Trixie had just moved in downstairs.

"Man, she is  _not_  happy about this," the librarian muttered, her head shaking at the latest profanity-laced reply. "Geez! I'm not happy about it either, but she tried to murder me and I'm still willing to move on. Then again, I guess I did the same before she made me leave. The feeling must be mutual." She looked up just in time to see her companion taking a swig of cherry soda. "You said she dropped by the store yesterday after Applejack. Who else showed up? How did everything go?"

The pale woman's thin eyebrow raised. "You're just now asking me this?"

Twilight shrunk back a little, her expression oozing sheepishness. "Well, I didn't want to seem pushy. I figured if something bad happened you'd tell me, but you didn't talk much so I didn't want to push."

A reassuring smile appeared as Fuyu set her bottle on the table. "I just had a lot to think about, that's all." As her recollection of the day began to take shape, her head tilted slightly. "Let me see. There was Applejack, Trixie, Golden Harvest, Flitter, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, Fluttershy, Cheerilee, Thunderlane, that strange man that never seems to wear anything but his tennis outfit, Filthy Rich, Lyra – the first time, a woman named Lightning Dust that seemed to know Rainbow, Lyra – the second time, with Bon Bon, and Scootaloo just before we closed. She was mad that I refused her coffee, but Mrs. Cake told me to."

Stunned, Twilight let her phone slip out of her hands as she processed all that detail. "You remembered every single person?"

An idle nod and shrug came and went as she took up her drink again. "Yes, although I have to admit I forgot Cheerilee's name at first. My brain is still rather empty, so it tends to cling to things. Also, Pinkie says that remembering people is good customer service, and will help them like me more."

A small smile appeared. "She's probably right. It's a nice feeling when someone recalls your name." Just as she finished speaking, her phone emitted yet another happy tone. "Wow, Rainbow. I know you're mad, but geez."

"Mm." Fuyu dropped her gaze to the floor and held it there, figuring the librarian was again lost in her texting.

While she might have been doing that, she could also detect the change in posture. "What's wrong? You're sullen all of sudden." Her inquiry, as well as the subsequent giggle, all came without her looking away from her phone. "Almost rhymed."

The pale woman looked up and across the table while placing her chin in her left hand. "It's the things I don't remember that are bothering me." Staring at Twilight for a moment changed her mind; the memory of her purpose was brought up once again, causing her to whisper lowly, "Or maybe it's the things I do remember that bother me more."

She fell silent just in time for her friend to look up. "Poor Fu. As soon as you get settled at the Corner, we can all go to Canterlot. And by the way, you never really said how your day  _went_. I hope nobody made a scene."

"No." Fuyu decided to take another drink. "A few of them gave me some strange looks, but at least nobody decided to run away after they noticed I was at the register."

"That's good!" The librarian clapped her hands once and flashed a broad smile. "See, it's already working. You'll have tons of friends before you know it."

"I already have all the friends I need." Despite her best efforts to seem aloof, which included staring out through the doorway into the public space, her eyes shone with emotion.

Twilight giggled lowly. "Awwww!" Both of them looked at her phone as it chimed again. "Oh, for...I'd better go over there and calm her down before she runs me into the poorhouse via phone bill. When do you have to go in today?"

"In about an hour." Another chime drew their eyes down. "I didn't think she could get that mad."

The librarian slid her chair out and stood up. "She's got an incredible temper sometimes. Don't tell them I told you this, but I can't believe she and Applejack are still together. One's got a short fuse and the other is as stubborn as a mule." She turned off the device and dropped it into the front pocket of her slacks. "I'll see you this afternoon, then?"

"Yes." Fuyu drained her bottle and stood, using her magic to flick it expertly into the green recycling bin. "Good luck with Dash."

"Thanks." A wave and a smile saw her departing through the public space and out to the street where she had parked her car. Fuyu watched her drive off with a deepening frown.

"Great," she groaned lowly. "Another secret to keep."

* * *

A little crowd had gathered not long after the pale woman took up her station at the register. Her work day had started at seven on the dot instead of nine o'clock as it had the day before, so she was getting a good look at what Pinkie called the 'regular sleepyheads'. These were the people that almost invariably ordered some sort of coffee and a bagel, or doughnut, or waffle, or pancakes, and used the tables inside to read the newspaper or chat with friends as they got their own days going. This group included Cheerilee for about ten minutes before she darted off to school, but the rest were more unfamiliar outside of Fuyu's seeing them around town from time to time.

Three of them in particular had her attention. Seated together at one of the tables were a trio of women that she'd seen around several times, and in almost every instance they were together. One had starkly lime hair that curled about above her spring green eyes. Another was a straight-haired blonde with a faintly golden gaze, who looked back at the pale woman as if expecting a disaster at any moment. The last had raspberry locks in two tones which spiked up on top of her head and chartreuse eyes. In all her encounters with the three, this one struck Fuyu as the leader. In fact, upon entering the shop, she had been the one to place the orders for each of them.

And she was giving Fuyu a sour look. The regulars were beginning to depart, and while some were chillier than others, none of them interacted with her like this woman. So when it was just her and the trio – and Pinkie dashing to and from the kitchen on some mission to get something – the pale woman decided to call her on it.

"You've spent an hour looking at me like I kicked your cat," she said, pointing her words right at the redhead. "If you've got something to say, say it."

She jerked back with surprise, and suddenly they were huddled up over the table in some sort of conference. The baker noticed it on her next trip into the shop and blinked. "What's going on?" she asked, whispering to Fuyu as she walked over.

Arms crossed and visibly annoyed, she continued to peer at the three women. "I believe we're about to have a confrontation."

"No! You can't fight in here, the Cakes will fire you! Then me! They'll probably fire all my friends!" Pinkie ducked down behind the counter and peeked around, only her eyes and above exposed. She seemed to have forgotten that anyone could look through the glass case and see her there.

Fuyu blinked down at her with confusion. "They don't even work here."

"Oh yeah." Suddenly, Pinkie looked more serious than the pale woman had ever seen as she stood up. "Please, Fufu. Don't-"

Fuyu relaxed and put on a small smile as she glanced over. "I'm not, and you know it. Now get back in the kitchen before something burns down." They exchanged a quick hug before the baker disappeared. Just as she got out of sight, the redhead finally stood up and walked over.

"Lily, Daisy and I do  _not_  trust you," she said, gripping the edge of the counter and leaning across. Her eyes were gleaming with determination, but that look was met with a blank stare. Thrown off her game, she began to stammer. "W-well! We don't!" Hearing her distress, Lily and Daisy came up and stood on either side of her, although they were plainly more afraid.

"Rose, maybe this isn't such a good idea," Daisy said, grabbing her left wrist. "I mean, she seems nice enough, right? She saved everybody."

Rose snapped her eyes at the lime-headed woman. "Then why doesn't she ever talk to anyone? She is  _totally_  hiding something."

"Have you ever heard of 'speak only when spoken to'?" Fuyu interrupted, leaning across the counter herself. While she looked imposing, her tone was very even, as was her face. "All you have to do is say hello."

Pinkie, meanwhile, was peeking around the entryway to the kitchen with a hand slapped over her mouth. It was the only way she could make herself stay quiet. Despite a distinct lack of tension – at least tension that was traveling in both directions – her teeth chattered behind her fingers.

"Uh, hi?" Lily offered a trembling wave. "Come on, Rose. Let's not make her mad. I don't think we'd like her when she gets mad."

Fuyu wasn't about to let them go anywhere; she'd had enough of the cold shoulder and was intent on finding its roots. While leaning back from Rose, she pinned the redhead down with a stern look. "Hold on. I see you three around all the time. You must know why everyone is so distant. Tell me. I want to understand."

Rose scratched her head. Her face had twisted into an expression located somewhere between surprise and relief. "Dude, we didn't think you cared. Like, that you were the dark and mysterious type, you know."

She glanced away and ended up seeing Pinkie hiding very apparently behind the door frame. Smiling, she rolled her eyes before turning back to Rose. "I suppose that's true, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I've never really had a home before now, and I want to stay here. But I don't want to be a pariah surrounded by people that dislike me either. All I want to know is why everyone seems to be so put off."

Lily and Daisy exchanged glanced behind Rose's back. The latter released her friend's arm and moved up closer to the counter. "You're freaky strong. You changed back all the buildings after Trixie screwed them up. We grew up thinking stuff like that was impossible. Not even the Princesses can do what you did."

Fuyu blinked three times as she brought up the memory. After confirming again internally that she had in fact rebuilt the town with her augmented abilities, all she could do was shrug, look at the three of them, and say with absolute seriousness, "Yes. So what?"

It was their turn to stare blankly. "What do you mean, so what?" Rose demanded. "You're really powerful! It's scary!"

"I suppose. I forgot I could do it until Rarity wanted to dye my hair." She pointed at the blue bangs covering her left eye and shrugged once again. "It's not really something I think about very much."

"Are you  _serious_?" Rose exclaimed, trying to pick her jaw up off the floor. "If I had your abilities I'd be messing with everything!"

"Well..." She trailed off, only to break out in a wicked grin when the perfect words appeared before her mind's eye. "I'm not like you."

"Obviously." Rose turned around and suddenly the three women were having another meeting. This time, Fuyu could hear their whispers, although not what they were saying. Abruptly she whirled around again. "Okay, fine." She reached into her tan purse and deposited a clutch of bills on the counter. "Just, keep the change. We'll stop bothering you."

And they were gone, skittering over and grabbing what remained of their food and coffees and zipping out the door. Pinkie arrived not long after, poking the pale woman in the side. "Lily didn't pass out! That's totally a good sign! I thought Fluttershy was bad, but that girl faints whenever somebody thinks about her too hard."

Some new feeling was sweeping around Fuyu's chest now. It wasn't quite happiness, but it was pleasant and certainly better than the penetrating bitterness she'd been swamped in since defeating Trixie. "Perhaps being different isn't so bad."

"Why would it be bad? That's just dumb, Fufu. I'm super different and everyone loves me!" Pinkie started to do the conga – with herself, and in a line consisting of one person. She very nearly fell flat on her face when Mrs. Cake called from the kitchen. "Oops. I think I forgot about the red velvet cake in the oven. Again. Gotta go!"

"Goodbye." Alone, she stared at the door while wearing a vacant smile. "That went well. I think it went well." While scratched at her left ear, she suddenly felt less than sure. "Maybe?"

There wasn't much time for her to contemplate; the door swung open, knocking around the brass entry chime and causing a cheerful racket. Rainbow Dash stalked through it, her wings flapping with annoyance. Not missing a beat, she stormed up to the counter and pointed a finger at the pale woman. "We gotta talk, Fu."

"We do?" No immediate reason presented itself, leaving Fuyu at a loss. "Why?" she asked, resting her palms on the case.

Rainbow slapped her hands down and tilted forward. "Because Trixie moved into my fucking apartment building, that's why!"

Fuyu showed her displeasure at the noise with a ghostly scowl. "I'm aware. I thought Twilight was going to calm you down."

Additional anger crept into her tanned sneer. "Nobody is gonna calm me down! The woman that tried to murder us –  _you too_ , don't forget – is right under my pad! I ain't gonna stand for that!"

"Dashie!" Pinkie streaked out of the kitchen and tackled the athlete – both would have ended up on the ground had the woman not been so steadfast in her rage. Rainbow absorbed the blow and ended up with the giggling baker draped on her shoulder. "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

She kept her eyes on Fuyu, but lifted one hand to give Pinkie a friendly pat on the head. "Hey, Pinkie. Help me convince Fu to go evict Trixie."

Pinkie let go and did a little twirl, after which she had to steady herself for a moment. "Um, she can't. Kinda busy being awesome at running things and stuff!"

The pale woman tapped her fingernails on the counter top and gave both of them an even look. "I'm not going to anyway. Trixie can live where she wants."

"Tried. To.  _Kill us_." Had it been anyone else, Rainbow would have grabbed them by the collar and attempted to physically convince them. Instead she settled for pointing out the window in the general direction of her problem. "Rarity's with me on this. So is Applejack."

"Oh, Dashie, you guys gotta live and let live. She said it was the amulet making her all evil and stuff. And she's been so nice ever since!" Even Pinkie was frowning now, but like all her expressions it was somehow chipper and bright. "Besides, we've got Fufu! Nothing's gonna happen."

Rainbow folded her arms while peering long and darkly at Fuyu. "That's not the point. Trixie doesn't deserve to stay in this town and Fu has the power to make her go. But it looks like she's  _forgotten_  everything that jerk did to us."

All of three seconds passed before the athlete realized she had crossed a line. Fuyu leaned so far across the counter that she was nearly touching noses with the suddenly stunned Rainbow. "There are some things that slip my mind, but things like  _that_  are not among them. If you'd like, I can recount for you the details of every single one of the almost five hundred people I've killed to survive. Maybe you want a review of the arguments I've heard between you and Applejack that have made her cry – or maybe the ones that made  _you_  cry. The four times Twilight has gotten a splinter in her foot from the floor in the loft. Pinkie burning her fingers on a tray of cupcakes. Rarity stabbing the tip of her left ring finger with a needle while sewing me a new shirt." She paused for an instant as the baker let out a low, unhappy whine. "I don't forget the pain I've caused, and I don't forget the pain of my friends. The three of you need to work out your problems with Trixie on your own. I'm not going to impose my will on her. I know why she did what she did, because it's not far away from the things I used to do. That's why I had to let it go." Rainbow wanted to jerk back as Fuyu placed hands on her shoulders, but couldn't execute the move. "Don't get me wrong, though. If she tries anything that has a chance of hurting you again, I will turn her into a bloody smear on the ground."

Rainbow and Pinkie were left silent, trembling wrecks, despite Fuyu's voice not raising above her average conversational volume. They clung lightly to each other as the pale woman pulled away and opened the register to see what bills she had available to make change. It was over a minute before either of them could speak. "Th-that's totally not w-what I meant when I said you f-forgot," the athlete stuttered, fearing she'd finally managed to make Fuyu mad.

She didn't even bother to look up from the money she was counting. "Of course it is."

Rainbow almost choked on her rebuttal in desperation to get it out as fast as possible. The words ended up much weaker than she wished. "Wh—okay, maybe, but I didn't really..."

"I know. I'm not mad at you." Having finished counting, she thwacked the drawer closed and at last looked up. "Just remember that she used part of my power to do all of that. If you hate her, technically you hate me too."

"Uh..." Rainbow glanced down, then over at Pinkie, then up at the ceiling. "I guess..."

"It's fine. I know a lot of people aren't fond of her, but look at it from my point of view. I understand almost exactly how she was thinking. We both had to feed different – but related – monsters." Fuyu assumed a more pleasant air, although this meant her face returned to a state of idle blankness. "If you hate her, fine. Don't talk to her. However, she has as much right to stay here as I do."

Rainbow found herself at an absolute loss. "Damn. You really know how to kill an argument." Drooping slightly, she stepped back from the counter and sighed. "Fine, I'll go handle my own business." Still feeling a little rattled, she rubbed at the back of her neck. "I, uh, I truly didn't mean it that way, Fu."

"Stop worrying." The pale woman was looking rather embarrassed herself. "Please don't tell anyone I lost my temper. I don't think it would help my image."

"If you call that losing your temper, you don't have anything to worry about." Rainbow gave her a quick salute and, swagger regained, strode toward the door. "I'm heading home. See you guys later." Before she got there, she turned and glanced back. "Nice haircut, by the way. Looks good." After pulling up the hood of her red fleece jacket, she was gone.

"Bye Dashie!" Pinkie perked up and waved both arms over her head. After Rainbow was out of sight, she turned to her other friend with her hands on her hips. "Fufu, you can be pretty scary sometimes."

Fuyu was thoughtful again, avoiding eye contact and looking vaguely tense as she shifted on the balls of her feet. "I know. Trust me, I know."

* * *

The library was empty when she returned that afternoon. A quick search turned up a note on the kitchen table; Twilight and Spike had gone shopping, and wouldn't be long. This still annoyed her – she had something to get off her chest, and the librarian was the only one who would understand her question. Sighing with resignation, she settled into one of the boxy chairs nearest the TV and turned it on. As usual, her channel surfing lead her right to the news.

As she'd watched it more and more, she had come to realize that there was a great deal it was leaving out. Twilight's initial reaction to her admission of killing and the reason – self-defense – was never entirely correct. Despite that, there were regions in the country, such as the west, where she did have to defend herself routinely. She had lost count of the amount of times someone had tried to rob her, but unless it was feeding time she'd knock them out and move on. Very few stories like those ever seemed to reach the network; on further review, it was as though they would mention a murder or something awful, then spend the next twenty minutes on purely positive reports. It prodded at her brain with a dissonance she had only encountered when refusing to eat.

And then something else hit her: in the seventeen days since she had taken out Trixie, Fuyu had seen exactly two pieces about what had happened in Ponyville. One of these was a lengthy, live chunk of breaking news, something she'd seen just after coming home subsequent to fixing the town. The second was about three days later and quite quick, flashing by in under a minute. A follow-up, Twilight had explained. Probably the last mention of the awful affair. It was all right then, because the pale woman, like the rest of the town, only wanted to move on from the whole thing.

There was a problem, however. In both instances, Fuyu herself had never been mentioned. Neither had Twilight. The rest of their mutual friends were listed by name amongst the victims, and Trixie had been plainly labeled as the culprit, but she and the librarian were absent altogether.

"Why..." Now having plenty to stew over, she turned the volume down and glared a hole into space. She got so lost in her analysis that Twilight's arrival completely went past her senses.

"Hey, you're home!" the librarian said, flipping her car keys onto a table near the door. "I heard Rainbow stopped by the shop. I couldn't get her to listen to reason, or  _anything_ , to be honest. I hope she didn't cause too much trouble." Twilight continued to shed various objects; her purse and shoes came off, although she simply exchanged the latter for a pair of purple slippers. "I dropped by the market and got us a case of that weird peach soda. You were right, it really grew on me." Once her brain had finished decompressing, her perception picked up the silence. Its intensity made her arms break out in goosebumps. "Fuyu? Are you all right?"

Fuyu squished her swirling emotion into four flatly-stated words. "Something is bothering me."

"I can tell." In the process of walking over, Spike came in and made her hesitate. His arms were laden with bags, but the pale woman's demeanor was raising a whole cluster of red flags. With a few apologetic hand motions, she explained her situation and sighed with relief as he nodded and grumbled. While he unloaded the car, she sat next to Fuyu. "What's up?"

Her icy eyes drifted over and nailed Twilight with a curious look. "We weren't mentioned in the news about Ponyville. Why?"

"Oh, um." Concern was chased away by sudden awkwardness. "Well..." Hands fidgeting, she looked at the floor and kept her eyes there.

Fuyu didn't care for the librarian's body language and tipped forward to stare her down. "Well? Did I miss something?"

"It's illegal to take pictures of us. Or to interview us. Actually, the media is supposed to leave us completely alone. I joked with Applejack about the paparazzi, but that's why there aren't any around despite my being a Princess that doesn't live in Canterlot."

" _Why_  is it illegal?"

Twilight jumped at the hardness of her tone and glanced up. "Because we're in the Order. It's like, I don't know, a national restraining order or something. The members are not to appear on TV, print, or radio of any sort, nor can they be forced to do the same, under penalty of law."

As much as the pale woman wanted to blurt out  _I knew she was hiding me_ , she managed to keep her lips sealed and emit only a low sound of acknowledgment. For Twilight's sake she shed much of her silent intensity and took up a more relaxed pose. "I still don't understand why."

It worked. The librarian also calmed down, though she was now on the edge of her seat as if preparing to stand. "She did it to protect Luna. After a while the Order became a place for her to shield people that would have become famous for their service to the nation. Investiture isn't compulsory if offered, but I chose to enter because I thought it would keep my parents from being harassed. Now it feels like I hardly get to speak to them."

"I don't think I got a choice." Fuyu knew she'd slipped up when Twilight shot her a deeply surprised look. "Well, she didn't ask." Tensing slightly, she waited to see if she'd triggered any curiosity.

Apparently not, as Twilight snickered. "Oh. You got her will imposed on you, I guess." She stood up as Spike entered for the third time, fumbling with the case of soda. "We'd better help him before his arms fall off."

"Fine." Fuyu rose and drifted along, floating six inches off the floor. "I had another question." With her magic, she took the case from Spike and levitated it in front of her. "Do you ever forget about your power?"

Twilight blinked a few times as she watched her friend use her magic to fill the fridge with bottles. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"I mean it literally. I forgot I could change things until Rarity wanted to dye my hair yesterday." They moved outside together and over to the open trunk of Twilight's blue compact. "Do you ever do that?"

"I can't say I have. Our telekinesis is monitored by something related to the sense of proprioception – that is, the thing that tells us where our body parts are in relation to each other. We should always feel it because it acts like a sixth limb." Raspberry light discolored the gray trunk carpet as she used her magic to grab a few bags.

Fuyu ran a hasty self-check and noted that she could feel her regular magic, but not the high level ability she used to alter her appearance. "No, that's not the magic I mean. I mean the kind I used to shift matter."

"Oh, well, I couldn't tell you. I don't know anyone else that can do such a thing, besides Trixie with your amulet." Twilight's face suddenly lit up as she turned to go back inside. "Makes sense, though! If it's an artificial power, you'd have to remind yourself it's there. It wouldn't act like something natural that's always connected to you."

"I see." Shimmering black waves of Fuyu's magic enveloped the remaining groceries, pulled them out, and also closed the trunk. "So I have to call on it. I guess I haven't had much use to do that."

"Yeah. I wouldn't worry."

They went about sorting and storing all of the food, which took virtually no time thanks to their telekinetic capabilities and Twilight's rigid organization. After they were done, the pale woman got a bottle of the peach soda and wrenched it open. "I'm not sure how much I like what being in the Order entails."

A nervous laugh preceded the librarian's reply. "Ah, you get used to disappearing. It's really not so bad." She departed upstairs with haste, leaving a less than enthused Fuyu behind.

"It hasn't been that long since I was found," she muttered, interjecting a swallow of soda, "I don't think I want to vanish again."


	3. Resolution

Trixie slammed a pillow down over her head as a low knocking sound filtered once again into her bedroom. She peered out at the clock on the oak nightstand – it was just after six in the morning – and growled. "Somebody is not getting the  _hint_." Two more cycles of noise stabbed at her ears until, finally, she was driven by rage to get up and stumble out into the living room. "There had better be a fire or a plague or a man with a national lottery check behind that door."

Twice she had to brace herself on the back of the cornflower blue sofa to keep herself from falling flat onto the white carpet, but at last she reached the entryway and shot a one-eyed glare through the peephole. There stood Applejack on the other side, hat in hand and looking rather nervous. "You've got to be kidding me." While patting at her bedhead and taking a breath, she opened the door.

"Uh...howdy." The blonde looked past Trixie into the apartment. "May I...?"

The part of the magician's brain responsible for being polite had not yet woken up, and she didn't bother to wait on it. Glaring and expecting to be harassed in some way, she sneered her denial. " _Why_?"

Applejack shrank back a little, although the effect of her movement was lost on the shorter woman. "Look, I done come to apologize. I ain't tryin' ta cause a stir."

"At six in the morning?!" She scratched at her indigo pajamas and prepared to unload an epic rant. Her mind froze, however, when replaying the sentence. "Wait. Apologize?" Dumbfounded, she took a step back to allow the blonde passage.

"Yep." Applejack swung a quick glance around, noticing a rectangular paper something on the coffee table. She instantly recognized it as a train ticket. "What's this? Where are ya headin'?"

"Somewhere." Trixie shuffled over and grabbed it up. "Trixie is no—I'm still not entirely sure what you're apologizing for," she added, dropping her public persona with a ragged breath.

Applejack sat on the sofa and laid her hat aside. "Rainbow had a little chat with Fu yesterday. She said some things that got both of us ta thinkin'. About how if we were gonna let her stay here, we had to let ya do the same. You were usin' her amulet when ya did all that crap, after all."

The magician's stance softened as she listened, although her arms remained folded. "So that's why she didn't pay another visit to swear at me. I thought she'd moved out in disgust."

Applejack snorted and flashed a small grin. "Nah. Don't get me wrong, we ain't feelin' friendly, but..."

"I understand." Trixie returned that smile with a sleepy one of her own. "Still, who makes an apology trip at six in the morning? Couldn't you have called and left a message?"

The blonde stood up and gazed down at Trixie with a thoughtful – and somehow haughty – expression. "Ain't right to apologize over the phone. Supposed ta do that sorta thing face to face, like ma always said." Suddenly she began to chuckle. "Besides, ain't my problem half of y'all are such lazy bones. Get up earlier!"

Both of them laughed a little. Applejack strode back toward the open front door, but didn't get far before Trixie called her back. "Wait. What about Rarity? Does she know about your cease-fire?"

Applejack placed her hat back on and adjusted it while replying. "Well, yeah. She ain't too keen about makin' nice, though. Probably because of what ya wanted ta do ta Sweetie Belle."

"Again, I understand." Her folded arms loosened so she could wrap them around herself in a hug. "I wouldn't forgive me either, even if I was...under the influence."

"Yeah. Y'all two are probably gonna have to work it out on your own." The blonde could now see the train ticket in her left hand. Squinting, she leaned slightly down to examine it. "Seriously, what's with the ticket? Did Dash get ya to consider runnin' off after just a couple of days?"

"No. And again, this is my business." After tucking the thing into her pajama top, she ushered Applejack toward the door. "I would be more polite, but I'm running on three hours of sleep and I need a bit more than that to function. Thank you for being so considerate." Her left arm waved at the hallway. "Goodbye. We can take this up again when I'm not seeing two of you due to drowsiness, if you like."

Applejack burst out laughing and gave Trixie a hearty slap on the back – hearty enough to make the magician grunt with pained surprise. "Don't thank me, thank Fu. Guess I'll see ya later." Out she stepped, the door closing very shortly behind her. As she moved away from it, a hand sneaked up and scratched at her head. "The hell would she be needin' a ticket ta Canterlot for?" she asked herself quietly, jogging down the hall toward the stairs. Out of habit she reached into a pocket for her phone to call Twilight, just as she usually did whenever one of the three women thought Trixie was doing something untoward. This time she stayed her hand, shrugged, and muttered, "Really ain't my business, I guess. Gonna take some gettin' used ta, though."

* * *

Twilight had made quite a big deal out of this being Fuyu's first weekend off, but like many things her friends considered normal, the pale woman didn't get the point of the whole affair. She was demure and polite while the woman prattled on about making the best use of her free time; although she was cognizant enough to note that, given that she only napped an hour a day, Fuyu had about a third more of it than anyone else in the world. The sum total of the librarian's lecture was a conscious sort of checking out, where Fuyu heard words but wasn't really listening to them, and instead used the background noise to enter something like a daydream without the dreaming part.

When Twilight dropped her last sentence, therefore, it came as a sudden surprise. "By the way, Fluttershy is expecting you. Should I give you a ride, or do you want to make the trip yourself?"

Fuyu snapped her eyes up as the other woman sat down in the chair beside her. "She is?"

"Yep, and I think it's time you paid her a visit." Her hand rose and lit up as she magically changed channels on the TV. "You two are so similar, you hardly speak to each other. And really, sometimes I think she feels lonely. You've seen how shy she is."

The expression on Fuyu's face betrayed her rejection of that label. "Yes, but I wouldn't exactly call myself shy."

"No, I'm not saying that. You're just kind of..." The word wouldn't come, despite her eye rolling and head tilting.

"Solitary?"

Twilight clapped her hands and pointed. "Yes!" For a moment, she peered at the TV and frowned. "Ugh, this is that show Applejack likes so much. I wish these people would enunciate words." Annoyed, she magically flipped through the stations. "No, really, I think you two should strike up a conversation. Get to know each other better."

Rubbing her chin, the pale woman considered the idea for some time. "The last time we spent alone together didn't turn out very well."

An image of the cave incident popped up in both their heads, although it was more accurately portrayed in Fuyu's than Twilight's. The picture was still enough to scribble unhappy expressions on their faces. "Exactly. Now that you've moved past that... _ew_  stage, I think it's a good time to give her a better image of you."

She nodded her agreement and stood up. "I think I owe her that, at least. I suppose I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay! You guys have fun!" Twilight waved with a little too much enthusiasm as she watched the pale woman hover to and out the door. She squeaked and frowned, however, when she saw Fuyu take off into the air through the window. "Er...I was kind of hoping you'd walk, but fine?"

She hadn't gone far. Hovering over the tree at about ninety feet in the air, her first action was to taking a sweeping look over the town. Moving cars and people of all sorts were scattered across her sight, and in spite of the latter's chilly attitude the scene made her smile. Before she could streak off across the sky, a problem jabbed at her brain: she had no clue where Fluttershy lived. In all the weeks since her nomadic life had ended, never once had she dropped by the shy woman's house – not even in the company of Rarity, who seemed to go there all the time. "This is a problem." A solution came in the form of a tiny rainbow smudge some distance away to her right and nearer the ground. "I'll ask her."

Fuyu covered the distance with remarkable speed, something that helped her ignore the shocked looks of those on the sidewalks below. In about a minute the colors congealed into Rainbow Dash, cup of coffee in hand and looking around out her apartment window. While the athlete was surprised at first, she soon raised her mug in salute and put on a wry grin. "What's up? Besides you," she greeted, just as Fuyu began treading air at eye level. While waiting on a reply, she examined the woman's clothes. The dark colored t-shirt – in this case a pleasant shade of navy blue – wasn't unusual, but the light gray capri pants were, as were the black and silver sneakers. "Nice outfit. Like the shoes."

"Thank you. You can figure out where they came from." Her eyes looked over Rainbow's left shoulder and saw Applejack lounging on the couch. The blonde noticed her at about the same time and offered a friendly tip of her hat. "Oh. Am I interrupting?"

"Nah, she popped in to say hello and never left." Rainbow turned back into the room and raised her voice in mock anger, "Popped in at six thirty in the morning like a dumbass!"

Applejack cocked a brow and snapped her wrist in dismissal. "Screw  _you_ , ya know ya love it."

Cackling, the athlete turned back to Fuyu. "Let me guess, Rarity made them?"

She nodded with a slight grin. "I keep telling her to stop. Twilight wants to cut a new closet out of the tree so I have somewhere to put them all."

Rainbow snorted, bent forward slightly due to a chuckle. "Man, you can forget it. She's generous enough as it is, but in your case she's probably overcompensating for the scissors attack."

"She does like to call it her 'most unladylike moment'." Fuyu folded her arms and looked over at the clouds that had suddenly choked the morning sun. "Anyway, I need your help."

A swig of coffee prefaced a surprised look. "Eh? With what?"

"Fluttershy has invited me over, but I don't know where she lives." A bug landed on her sleeved-covered arm; she shooed it away with a glowing hand. "Could you point in the general direction and tell me what her house looks like?"

Rainbow was deeply confused and made no effort to hide it. "Didn't she tell you that herself?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Fuyu tried to maintain her usual stoicism, but her face softened since she knew exactly where the athlete was going. "No. I didn't actually talk to her."

"Twilight?" They both nodded; the pale woman glanced down afterward and sighed. "So Fluttershy called Twilight and Twilight invited you over for her. Dude, you've gotta get one of those phones so she stops being your go-between."

More nodding came in response to those words, but a frown chased it. "You have a point, although that isn't the entire problem. She seems to derive great joy from watching me encounter normal things. Like earlier, she was so happy about my first day off from a job I didn't even know I had forty-eight hours ago."

Rainbow emptied her mug and set it on the windowsill. "Yeah, see, that's Twilight Sparkle. When something fascinates her, she latches on with both hands and holds on for dear life."

Fuyu folded her arms and let her eyes close. "I would kind of like her to back off, but I don't want to seem distant. And while I appreciate all the six of you have done for me, it still seems like some of you enjoy doing it without my knowledge."

That made the athlete snort. "What can I say? Sometimes we're a pushy bunch of bitches." Before either could continue the conversation, she noticed something down on the sidewalk below. "Ugh, don't look now."

"What?" Fuyu did just that; her eyes came upon two boys – one with a greenish-blue bowl cut, and the other with messy orange hair – looking directly up at them. "I think I know those two. I've seen them with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle at school."

"Yeah. Get lost!" she yelled down, shaking her free hand. They skittered away. "And Rarity wonders why I don't wear skirts."

"Huh?" Only after a second or so did Fuyu get her drift. "Oh.  _Oh_ ," she said, looking back up. "Right. I had not considered that."

Rainbow laughed so loud it caused Applejack to walk over with a questioning look. "First rule of flying, Fu: wear pants."

She folded her arms and glared off to the side for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind."

The blonde wanted in on the joke, nudging her girlfriend accordingly. "What're y'all chattin' about?"

Rainbow nudged her right back, still wearing a wicked smirk. "Forget it." She leaned out the window and pointed to her left. "River's that way. Follow it toward the orchard until you see a tree covered in birdhouses. That's Fluttershy's cottage."

"Right." Fuyu was just about to take off until that new piece of knowledge froze her and made her blink. "She lives in a tree too?"

"Sure does," Applejack nodded. "Hollowed out elm. Damnedest thing I ever saw; I didn't even think elms  _got_  that big."

"Hmm. Well, thank you." The pale woman flipped them a wave and streaked off.

Just as the couple were leaning back from the window, Applejack's eye caught Trixie exiting the building with a suitcase floating behind her. "Guess  _she's_  headin' out too."

"Who?" Rainbow peeked out as well, her face screwing up when she saw the magician. "Oh, yeah. Maybe we should have told Fu about her going to Canterlot?"

The blonde shrugged while falling back onto the blue sofa. "Maybe when she gets back. I'm sure it ain't nothin' ta worry 'bout."

* * *

Ten minutes of almost aimless flying finally brought Fuyu to her destination – or rather, above it. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought this was a conglomeration of birdhouses in the shape of a tree, like the fancy scrap metal art that would sometimes be on sale at the marketplace in town. As she descended, many birds fluttered up to and then away from her at breakneck speed, most of which disappeared into the branches of the elm. Applejack had been right; this was certainly the biggest example of the species Fuyu had ever seen in her five years of wandering.

She landed on the winding dirt path and looked up at the tree. Unlike the large windows of Twilight's library, the trunk was studded with smaller, rounder versions that were almost like portholes. The door was split in half – the top part was open and swung into the trunk – and there were various flower boxes and potted plants all of sorts everywhere. A quaint little sign was hanging from her mailbox that proclaimed something about an animal grooming service. As she walked nearer, she could hear the shy woman talking, but didn't see her inside upon looking through the half-open door. Trying to follow the voice was difficult because of the ceaseless calls of the birds filling the branches above. At a loss, the pale woman went around the back of the tree to begin her search.

Once she got past the green jeep, she finally came upon Fluttershy, at the base of a spindly birch tree, looking up at something Fuyu couldn't see. Moving over closer, a white cat became visible in the limbs. While waiting patiently to be noticed, she examined the dark, brooding forest which dominated the background. It looked just like the ones containing the cave, although she didn't think the woods spread that far. A minute passed, then two, filled with the shy woman's plaintive begging for the cat to jump down to her. Fuyu decided she'd had enough and cleared her throat. "Fluttershy?" she called lowly, trying not to scare her.

Of course, it didn't work. She squeaked loudly and crouched, hands over her head and shaking, until she realized who had addressed her. "Oh! Fuyu! I, um, I wasn't expecting you until later. I thought you would be at work." Standing with a smile, she waved cheerfully, but like most of the six women she had to look up at her friend.

"Someone ordered a hundred and forty cheesecakes. Mister Cake told me to stay home since they wouldn't be able to bake anything for the cafe." The cat had her attention now; she pointed at it. "What happened?"

Fluttershy also lifted her eyes while sighing to herself. "Oh, well, Fiona doesn't want her bath. She always ends up in this tree."

"Mm." Fuyu waited for the shy woman to fly up and retrieve the unhappy feline, but instead she continued calling for it to come down. "Can't you just pull your wings and get her?"

Apprehensive instantly became embarrassed. Fluttershy turned away from tree and friend both, squeezing her hands together. "W-well..."

Staring off after her, Fuyu's eyes widened a little. "You really  _are_  afraid of heights?"

"Terrified," she murmured, nodding firmly.

The pale woman blinked several times. "I thought Rainbow was joking." Reaching out with her right hand in sheathed in magic, she used the power to detach the cat from its perch and levitate it slowly down. "Here."

"Oh, thank you." Fluttershy let it settle into her arms with a smile. "Such a bad kitty." It meowed up at her, tail swishing. "Goodness! Mind your manners, we have a guest!"

They walked back to the larger tree together. After entering, the shy woman lead them up an unstable-looking set of stairs to a little room with a metal table, a metal sink, and counters that lined three of the four walls. She set the cat in the sink and took a breath. "Let's try this again. Could you hold her with your magic? Please be gentle."

"All right." Fuyu's left hand was alight with the black glow, though she didn't bother to raise it, and the cat lit up with the same shine a second later. Fluttershy turned on the water and began the washing process. "I don't think she likes this." The feline's movements were sending twitches through her senses. "Grabbing living things feels strange."

"O-oh." Unable to figure out any further way to respond to that, Fluttershy kept on scrubbing the displeased cat. "I meant to t-talk to you directly when I called earlier, but Twilight..."

A heavy frown yanked at her lips. "Yes, I know." Between her black magic and the shy woman's practiced hands, Fiona was washed and dried in no time at all. She watched as Fluttershy set her down on the floor and let her run off to hide. "That was easy."

"She can be so catty." The unintentional wording made her giggle and blush faintly. "I'm sorry, I certainly didn't invite you over to do more work. Let's go sit in the living room while I wait for her to dry."

And so they went, back down the rickety steps and over to a green loveseat tucked away near one of the cottage's larger windows. Fuyu noted the presence of a fireplace – something she had thought to be an odd feature in a house hewn totally from wood ever since she saw the one Twilight's library contained – and what looked to be several heavy bags of birdseed next to the front door. Something was on the small TV nearby, but the volume was down. From what she could tell, it appeared to be a cooking show.

Fluttershy tucked a strand of cotton candy behind her ear, looked directly at the floor, and spoke the longest set of sentences Fuyu had ever heard from her. "I-I'll go first. I've been thinking that you and I don't really talk much, and that's not very nice of me. I mean, if you d-don't want to be not talked to, that is. So I invited you over. I'm not really sure  _what_  we could talk about, but..."

The pale woman had a sheepish expression which grew deeper as Fluttershy spoke. "Actually, I think I still owe you an apology for what happened at the cave."

She snapped her head up, eyes wide. "Oh, n-no. It was sort of my fault. I should have run like Pinkie told me to, but there was another me! I didn't know what to think."

Fuyu hunched over and rubbed at her face. "I can understand that. You have no idea how glad I am to be past  _eating_."

"Oh my, I bet." Fiona darted by and ducked noisily into an overturned wicker basket near the fireplace, causing them both to watch her for a moment. "Silly cat. Would you like some tea?"

Before she could reply, the pale woman inquired of her mind about her history with the drink. "I don't think I've ever had any," she said at last, straightening up. "What does it taste like?"

"Oh, well, there are a lot of kinds." Fluttershy rose, brushing off her khaki skirt. "I don't even know what to start with. Is there such a thing as starter tea?" She squeaked when her eyes landed on Fuyu, who was giving her an amused look. "Sorry, I'm talking to myself again."

She smiled more at that and folded her arms. "Whatever kind you think is best will be fine. I really don't know anything about tea."

"R-right. I'll go see what's in the cabinet." She skittered into the kitchen – the gait combined with her long skirt made Fuyu wonder how she didn't fall flat on her face like Stormy usually did. A subsequent series of low, glassy clacks and scrapes and other ambient noises caused her to relax just a little more, at least when it wasn't being broken by tinny yelps of surprise.

"Are you all right?" Fuyu asked, leaning forward to try and see better into the kitchen.

"F-fine! Just fine!"

"Okay?" Fuyu decided it would be best to wait, and it turned out to be about five minutes later when she heard a shrill whistling noise. "What is that?"

"The water is boiling! J-just a moment!" Soon she appeared with two dainty white cups of steaming liquid, each of which bore a tag hanging from a string over the rim. "H-here we go."

"Oh." Fuyu used magic to take hers from the shy woman and float it nearer so she could peer into it. "Brown?"

"Y-yes, this is just black tea. It's not really black, I guess, but—eek hot oh goodness, oh goodness!" Until then she'd been cradling her own cup in her hands, and hastily set it down on the coffee table. Despite her distress, her voice never rose above a murmur.

It made Fuyu grin again. "Be careful."

"S-sorry..." Fluttershy waved her hands to shoo away the excess heat that clung to her fingers. "I don't usually bring it out until it steeps for a few minutes."

Fuyu put her own cup aside as she watched her friend sit. "You never answered my question."

"Qu...wh-what question?" Terror flowed freely into her eyes as she groped about for an inquiry unrequited. "I don't remember any question I don't think, I—um... _pleaseask_ _it_ _again_?"

Her final four words were spoken at twice normal speed and three times higher pitch, and yet somehow they still lacked volume. Fuyu blinked and settled against the armrest in an attempt to assume a calmer pose – which she hoped would make Fluttershy seem less nervous. "I meant the question I asked you that day at the cave. Why do you apologize so much?"

"Oh! Um. That." She shifted gears from fear down into pensive unhappiness with such speed that the pale woman raised up with concern. "No, no, it's fine. I guess I say I'm sorry so much because I don't want anyone to feel bad." Her hands found their way into her lap and began to wring.

Her answer didn't help Fuyu much. She countered with her usual bluntness, although in as gentle a tone as possible. "But you say it for such trivial things."

The shy woman slumped over with sadness. "I kn-know. I guess I'm just so used to saying it all the time that I can't not say it."

"Now  _I'm_  sorry," Fuyu sighed, feeling as though she'd entered some touchy territory. "I was just curious. Did something happen?" She drew back with shock as Fluttershy hugged herself and began to whine. "Perhaps I should stop asking questions."

The shy woman tried her best to smile, but it didn't look right squashed together with the rest of her expression. "Don't mind me." A beat passed before she added, so quiet and quick it almost slipped by, "I'm jealous of you."

Fuyu had to make sure she'd even heard it before responding. "Why?"

Fluttershy gazed at her tangled fingers. "You don't care what anyone thinks. I think I might care  _too much_  about what everyone else thinks. I...I'm not very strong."

"That's ridiculous."

She snapped her eyes up and blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Fuyu magically took up her tea, peered at it again, and took a sip. Her face screwed up with the flavor. "Bitter. If I recall, you willingly took me to the cave despite knowing what that meant."

Fidgeting harder, Fluttershy looked away again. "Well, I promised Pinkie. It wouldn't have been right not to keep it."

The pale woman took another sip, this time without the accompanying expression. "And you shot me in the head to save your friends. That isn't weakness."

"I'm still s-sorry about that!" she yelped, hiding her face. "I just thought..."

At last enamored with the bold taste of the tea, Fuyu emptied her cup and floated it back to the table. "Don't worry. I just think you don't give yourself enough credit. I liked the tea, by the way. It's certainly different from soda."

"Oh, y-yes..." Needing a distraction, she retrieved her own cup and started drinking. "G-goodness. I forgot the sugar."

"And for the record, I do care what everyone thinks. That's why I hardly show my powers." Pausing to frown, she folded her arms again. "Twilight believes it scares everyone."

Fluttershy tilted her head. "If you keep hiding them, it'll just scare people for longer." Fuyu glanced up with a look that made her squeak. "I mean, th-that's just what I think."

"No, I believe you might have a point." Before they could get any farther down that road, Fiona emerged from her basket fortress with a meow.

"Oh, you're dry! I guess I'd better call Lily." The shy woman rose to do just that, leaving her cup behind.

While she did, Fuyu looked at the feline. "You're Lily's? This really is a small town." She also stood and followed the other woman into the kitchen. "I'm going to head back. Thank you for the tea. And the conversation."

She was trying to balance her cordless phone on her shoulder, but managed a friendly wave anyway. "You're welcome. See you."

The pale woman stepped out into the cool morning air and, out of habit, walked down the path back toward the river. After covering a few hundred feet, she stopped and clenched her teeth. "She's right." A glance back at the tree helped reinforce her thoughts. "Why am I hiding the parts of me I don't need to hide? I'm not going around and hurting anyone. I don't need to conceal myself." Her hands lit up with black magic; in a second more her sneakers detached from the ground. "I've tried being passive. Let's see what being active gets me." She was off like a shot into the cloudy sky, scattering the birds who were perched and watching her from the trees.


	4. Connection

To describe the level of nervousness – and if she were being honest with herself, abject terror – that swamped Trixie's brain would have defied her vocabulary. Pacing back and forth along the red carpet, between the marble columns and the stained glass windows and under a ceiling which vaulted so high it could tickle the stars, the magician looked up again at the dark blue door at the end of the hall just ahead. Specifically, her eyes stuck to the gleaming silver crescent set in the center, which served both as a door knocker and an indication of just whose chambers were enclosed behind it.

Swallowing, Trixie tugged at her collar again. In deference to the gravity of her business she had donned the most formal clothing she owned, an ensemble which would have graded out at 'daily wear' on Rarity's scale and in fact looked much like the dressmaker's usual professional attire. The blazer might have been blue, and the blouse and skirt an odd shade of purple, but everything else was very similar, even the heels.

Another eternity ticked by, squashed into the space of a second which was marked by her dainty little wristwatch. She had arrived as early as she assumed necessary for a meeting with a Princess – about an hour – but now the time appointed for her audience had wandered past by nearly five minutes. The mounting delay only allowed her anxiety to deepen and twist her stomach into frigid knots.

And then the door swung open, almost causing her to jump right out of her clammy skin with fright. "Enter," a voice commanded. Its source was a barely distinguishable silhouette, backed by dim light and standing in the doorway. Trixie obeyed immediately and strode quickly through the golden frame. Only after the door was shut behind her did a light come on and reveal her new surroundings.

"You didn't have to dress up," Luna chided with a smirk. She walked past and into the magician's sight, clad in a black hoodie and blue jeans. Her socks were a different shade of blue. "I'm not my sister."

"Wh-wha?" Trixie shook her head furiously and, at last, managed a few steps forward in an attempt to follow. Her heels clacked on the black granite floor – as she glanced about, it became clear that the walls were granite too, as was the ceiling. So far as she had seen, there was nothing else like this room in Celestia's white marble bastion.

Luna was across the room by now, past her tremendous indigo poster bed. "My apologies for being late. My alarm clock wasn't loud enough to wake me," she said, drawing closed the curtains across the single, enormous window. As if to prove it, the Princess let loose an obnoxious yawn. "Maybe I should use my phone..."

"Beg your pardon," Trixie began, feeling safe enough to shed her uncomfortable shoes, "but you just woke up? I've been outside for over an hour."

Luna turned back with an eyebrow raised high. "Whatever for?" The look on the magician's face said it all. "Oh, I get it. You wanted to be early to avoid insulting my dignity?" With a porcelain hand, she waved for Trixie to sit in one of the fat chairs arranged in front of a TV in the corner. "I wish you people would relax."

Trixie blinked as she sat down, still trembling lightly. "You...people?"

The Princess sat as well, rolling her eyes and grinning. "Forgive me. Lately my sister has been feeling protective."

"I see." It took actual effort for the magician to attempt to calm herself; seeing Luna slumped into her chair, idly channel surfing, did the trick. "I guess I was expecting something more formal."

Cyan eyes squinted with annoyance, and not due to the loud car salesman on the screen. "I have no use for formalities. Not anymore."

"Right." Trixie decided it would be safest to glue her sight to the TV and wait for the first move to be made. Soon after she clammed up, her peripheral vision caught Luna reaching down under the cherry table between them. Her hand came back up with a thick manila envelope, which the Princess tossed into her lap. "The papers?" Almost instinctively, she went to open the package for a peek. A hot spark of magic slashed across her wrist and halted her. "Ow!"

Luna rolled her eyes at the magician. "Honestly, you should know better. Those are for Winter's eyes, not yours."

She shook her hand to cool the sting, setting the envelope in her lap as she did. "I can't help being curious. I'm curious about a lot of things, if I may be direct with you."

"I know. That is why I asked you to come." After turning down the volume, she turned her upper half to Trixie and rested her chin in her hand. "I can't tell you everything, but you can ask whatever you like."

The first question had been brewing for some time and came instantly. "How do you know Winter? She never mentioned being acquainted with the royal family."

Luna squinted with vague unhappiness, but allowed the question anyway. "It's complicated. I cannot be specific."

Feeling a bit more comfortable with time, Trixie folded her arms and assumed her usual demeanor. "I guess I should have expected that. Is she related to you? An illegitimate child or something?"

"No." Her expression here was more genuine, but the tone of her answer was still curt.

With the ice broken, Trixie felt ever so slightly in charge of the situation and began to press. "Really? She seems pretty strong. I thought power like that was limited to the three of you."

Luna swatted down her assertiveness with a regal glare. "No means no. She is not related to us, despite what her abilities may lead you to think. Move on."

"R-right," she swallowed, trying to regain her edge. "How did you know about the amulet?"

The Princess tucked back an errant lock of shimmering hair and sighed. "There is a registry of such artifacts. We'd been looking for that one for some time."

"I see." Trixie's eyes drifted away while she thought on the matter. "Why am I not in jail?"

"It would be easier to have you killed."

The magician almost fell out of her chair at those words. Laughing nervously, she tried to pass it off as a bad joke before panic crushed her. "Oh, come on. This isn't a movie."

Luna folded her arms and exuded just as much imposing willpower as her sister, even if it looked incongruous with her casual clothing. "Do not think I'm teasing you. You walk free because one, you are close enough to Winter to keep an eye on her without raising suspicion, and two, because you are distant enough from Twilight to not be obliged to divulge things to her. I could not trust her friends to keep their mouths shut about this."

"So I'm convenient?" Trixie squeaked, hands balled into trembling fists.

With a sigh, the hardness of her pose faded. She slumped over a little and shook her head. "More or less. As long as you keep quiet, you have nothing to fear from me." Frowning at the continued fearful reaction, Luna finally reached out and patted the woman on the shoulder. "It is complicated. Most things having to do with us are."

"No kidding." Trixie needed several moments to screw up her courage for another question. "I thought her name was Fuyu?"

That inquiry was just irrelevant enough to make her smile. "A nickname she picked up. Her given name is Winter. She'll answer to both."

"Huh. Right. Uh..." While figuring out if she had anything else to ask, Trixie stood and stretched her legs. "I have a feeling I won't get much else out of you, so I guess that's all."

"Actually, it isn't." After reaching under the table again, Luna also got to her feet. "I wanted to give you this."

Blinking, she took a small, velveteen box from the Princess. Rectangular and purple, it appeared to be a case of some sort, although for what she had no idea. Unwilling to open the thing after Luna's reaction to her curiosity, she simply held on to it. "What's this?"

She caught that hesitation and smirked. "For you. You can look inside this one."

Exhaling with relief, Trixie flicked it open with the tip of her thumb. Inside was a silver, circular medal. The obverse was an intricately carved representation of the sky, featuring a crescent moon at top center and whose empty field was dotted with stars. It was suspended, via a simple hoop and a bar of silver, to a rectangle ribbon dyed alternating stripes of indigo and white. While awed by it, the magician had no clue what it was. "It's...nice? Very shiny."

Luna burst out laughing. "This is a medal of the Order of the Evening Sky. Consider this your investiture ceremony."

"W-wait...am I a knight now?!" she yelled, jaw slamming into the floor.

"No, you're a Dame." Still chortling lowly, she turned the TV back on. "That entitles you to a monthly stipend which should help you remain in Ponyville indefinitely. It will also get you out of the media's eye – and kill any investigation into the  _incident_."

Trixie was giggling as she pinned the device to her blazer lapel. "Look at me, I'm a martial noble! I feel like I'm in one of those fantasy novels!"

"It has been some time since either Order has raised a sword in anger, and nobility might be stretching it, but, yes. I suppose you are...special, now." It didn't take long for the giddiness of Trixie's laughter to start grating. Luna moved to knock her down a few notches – and remind her of the clandestine nature of their interaction. "Do  _not_  wear it in public. Only people that know you have it in the first place will ask for its presentation. Otherwise, keep it to yourself. Am I understood?"

Her scolding worked, but only to some extent. Trixie continued to cradle the gleaming thing in her left hand and smile brightly. "Yes, Your Highness. I can't believe it!" Unable to help giggling again, she laughed until an icicle of silence jabbed at her senses. Looking up, she saw Luna, arms crossed and a dark smirk on her face. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

The Princess' lips curled further, baring her teeth in an almost-threatening grin. "Don't get too excited. All this means is that you're officially my little secret."

* * *

Fuyu walked into the shop, her stride and visage oozing purpose unlike Pinkie had ever seen before. Only when she found her friend unnerved by her demeanor did she drop it and adopt something closer to her usual gentle aloofness. "Good morning," she offered, sliding behind the counter. "Am I early?"

"Little bit!" Pinkie shook it off and began to dance around, examining the inventory in the glass cases that lined the walls. "We both are! Oh, heads up, Mrs. Cake is gonna be by herself – not  _by herself_  by herself, I mean I'll be there too and...what was I saying again? Oh yeah! Just the two of us in the kitchen today 'cause Pumpkin's all sick and her daddy stayed home to take care of her. If people want food, just tell them it might be a while."

Fuyu translated the deluge of babbling and fished out the important pieces with a firm nod. "Mr. Cake is not here, so let the customers know that making food might be slow. I understand."

"Yep!" The baker was lost in her rounds until a random thought walked by and booted her in the brain. She straightened up and placed her hands on her hips, then fired a pointed look over at Fuyu. "Hey, why did you look so scary just now?"

Her question was smashed by a stone-faced counter. "How much money am I earning for this? Neither of the Cakes told me."

Utterly stunned, Pinkie could only drop her hands and stare for a moment. "Same amount as me, I guess. Why?"

"And how much is that?" she asked, eyes glued to the other woman. Despite her stare, she was also sorting the change in the register – or her black assistants were, piling the coins by weight and setting them into the appropriate slot. The tendrils slid back into her hands after she finished.

It had taken that long for Pinkie to formulate any answer, a span full of 'hmm' and eye rolling and toe-tapping that at last yielded, "I dunno. I let the Cakes handle that 'cause I am soooooo bad at money things. I can't even do my taxes without Rarity's help! It's boring and makes my head hurt..."

Now it was the pale woman's chance to bear a stunned look. "You've worked here for so long and you don't even know your salary?"

She beamed. "Nope!" On the way back to the counter she added, "I mean, a whole lot gets taken out for rent and whatever I might snack on that I'm not supposed to and utilities for the loft and blah blah blah. Like I said, boring."

Fuyu rubbed at her forehead and sighed. "I suppose I will just have to ask someone else."

Pinkie twirled over and wrapped an arm around her, grinning widely. "Why are you askin' in the first place, huh? I thought you didn't care about scratch."

"I need to know because I want to buy a phone like you have," she said, sliding the register drawer shut with a finger. "Wait, what is scratch?"

"You know, scratch! Paper, lettuce, bank, dough, coin, bread!" After seeing that her slang was going right over Fuyu's head, she gave up and focused on the other topic by pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. It was a faded pink with three balloons on the back, but the same model as their five mutual friends owned. "Never mind. Getting your own phone is good idea! I think? Right?"

Fingernails tapping, she nodded at the baker and glanced about. "Yes. Twilight has been my go-between for long enough."

While putting her phone away, Pinkie offered up a slightly nervous grin. "Huh. You're scary when you want something, Fufu."

Her words made the woman blink with surprise. "I am?"

"Yeah, like,  _wow_. It's 'stay out of your way 'cause you are on a  _mission_ ' scary." An abrupt hug smoothed out the awkwardness. "Don't worry! All I'm saying is that you're super focused!"

"Right." The arrival of Mrs. Cake drew their attention. Fuyu decided her question could not wait and posed it the moment the woman walked nearer. "I would like to know what my salary is."

The tone caught her square, forcing a pause as she shed her light coat and reached for the apron on the rack by the kitchen entrance. "Goodness. Fifteen an hour, the same we pay Pinkie. So that would be..." She trailed off, looking up as she tried to wrangle with the math.

Fuyu crushed the numbers almost instantly. "One hundred and twenty for an eight hour day, or ninety for six. Thank you. That's all I needed."

Her final statement did not apply to Mrs. Cake. She looked over at Pinkie for context and got some with a poorly-concealed whisper. "Fufu wants to buy a fancy phone like mine and she will  _not_  be stopped. Just roll with it."

"I see." She finally finished donning her apron and headed into the kitchen. "Come on, dearie. I'm going to need your cookie expertise."

Pinkie exploded with joy and gave chase. "Oooooo! I love cookies! Are we gonna make the ones with the macadamia nuts? Do we even have any macada—oh crap, did I forget to buy macadamia nuts?"

The last Fuyu heard of their conversation was a laugh and assurance from Mrs. Cake. "No, I bought them yesterday." As the noise faded, she positioned herself near the register like a casually-clothed sentinel and waited for the first customer of the day to arrive. Instead, she was met by two arriving about five minutes after being left alone. Applejack appeared first, holding the door open for Rainbow Dash.

"You dork," the athlete said, grinning up at her girlfriend. "Always doing the door thing."

She tipped her hat and issued an equally wry smirk. "I can't help bein' raised right." Together, they wandered up to the counter. "Howdy! How's work treatin' ya?"

Just after the blonde asked, a loud crash and accompanying torrent of four letter words – most of which were spoken by Pinkie, whose chipper voice made the curses sound hilarious – rang out from the kitchen. "I don't know how to answer that," Fuyu admitted, folding her arms.

Rainbow grinned again, stretching. "Seems about right. Can I get an iced coffee and a box of doughnuts for the living tree?" She snickered as Applejack elbowed her in the shoulder. "Like I'm wrong."

Fuyu raised her left hand and, without even turning around, began the process of producing the coffee. Black tendrils flew out and traveled behind her to operate the knobs and switches. Both women recoiled a bit at the sight, but Fuyu kept going. "I'm supposed to say that any food orders may take longer due to Mr. Cake's absence." All three of them noticed a smell and looked up. A vague, gray trail of smoke was wafting in from the kitchen. "...a lot longer," the pale woman added.

The couple stared at the haze and unconsciously huddled together. "Geez. Screw the doughnuts, then. Guess we'll have to get some later," Rainbow said with a grumble. She shared a sudden look with Applejack, then both cast their eyes at the pale woman. Neither said anything.

It was hard for Fuyu to miss, even as she devoted some brainpower to magically making the coffee. Once it was done, she set the cup on the counter and blinked. "What?"

The blonde doffed her hat and adjusted her ponytail. "Y'all didn't drop by again yesterday, so we didn't get ta ask ya..."

Fuyu didn't wait for her to finish. "Have I been roped into something else?" Genuine annoyance marked her face.

Rainbow interjected, taking her coffee. "Nah. At least not on our end. We were just wondering if you knew why Trixie was going to Canterlot."

Now she only looked confused. Dismissing her assistants, Fuyu stared the athlete down. "I hadn't heard about this. How did you find out?"

Applejack cleared her throat in that particular way which signaled the beginning of a story. "Well, Rainbow told me what ya said day 'fore yesterday and we both felt like jackasses. In fact I felt like enough a'one to pay Trixie a visit just after dawn. Told her I was sorry. That's when I saw the train ticket. And just after ya left ta see Fluttershy, we saw her with a suitcase leavin' the apartment complex."

"Hmm." After a few thoughtful seconds, Fuyu shrugged and laid her hands on the counter. "I wonder why."

Her underwhelming reaction caused Rainbow to blink and Applejack to smile. "Told ya," the blonde said. "Ain't no big deal."

"I wish you'd stop being right." She took an annoyed drink from her cup, although a smile was in her eyes.

Fuyu smiled at their banter. "Perhaps not, but I am curious. I'll ask her when she gets back."

Rainbow smacked her lips with the flavor of her coffee. "What if she doesn't come back?"

"She will. This is the probably the only town that will have her." Suddenly, a chain of thoughts formed in Fuyu's head that made her scowl. "Which means she must have had some important reason to travel. I wonder if everything is all right."

Applejack exchanged another look with her girlfriend, but all three let the matter drop. "Well, since we're all done with that, can we get ta the orchard? Got a lot of apples ta knock down 'fore the first frost gets here."

"Yeah, and by the way, I wouldn't have needed the caffeine if you hadn't kept me up all night." Rainbow reached into the front pocket of her white hoodie and dropped a bill on the counter. "Keep the change, we've gotta go so AJ can save her precious fruit. See ya!"

"Goodbye." Fuyu offered a wave as they left and placed the money in the register. Alone again, she allowed her train of thought to bother her more outwardly. "Why would she need to go to the capital?" A happy chime from the front killed her contemplation.

Twilight was peeking around the door. She looked around a few times before finally entering and skittering up to the counter. "Good, I'm not too late."

Fuyu was a bit thrown off by the librarian's behavior. "Too late for what?"

"You seemed kind of angry at me this morning. I wanted to make sure everything was fine before a crowd got here." While waiting for a response, she started to fidget.

"I seemed angry?" Quickly, she figured out that the intensity that had frightened Pinkie was likely responsible for this as well. "Oh. I wasn't angry, I just wanted a phone like yours."

Twilight fell still while trying to resolve the explanation with her memory of the exchange. "But your eyes were  _terrifying_! Are you sure that was it?"

A smile twisted her thin lips. "Pinkie says I'm scary when I want something."

"No kidding. I thought I'd made you mad." She smiled too, but it vanished at the same time as Fuyu's. "Why are you frowning?"

"I think I might be a little..." The word wouldn't come at first, at least not the one she felt matched her feelings best. Seconds passed before she settled for something close. "Annoyed with you."

"I knew it!" Twilight slapped her palms down on the counter top. She winced with pain and shook her hands. "Ouch. Why? What did I do?"

As usual, the pale woman got right to the point. "You enjoy intercepting as many of my interactions as possible. I want a phone so I can avoid that."

The sullen, slack-jawed, stunned look on Twilight's face said it all. Her expression did soften quickly, but a shadow of it stuck fast. "I...I see. Not the first time I've heard something like this." Her hands decided to hide in her pockets as she took a breath and retorted. "I swear there's a good reason!"

Fuyu meant to put on a receptive look, but it was made unrecognizable by her lingering intensity. "Let's have it, then."

"I'm afraid for you," she replied, starting to pace. "Not of physical harm, of course, I mean...you're still adjusting emotionally to, well," she paused, sweeping her hands around, " _normal_. I just want to make sure nothing hurts you while you get settled in."

Displeasure began to tickle Fuyu's brain as she listened. "I think I've adjusted well."

In her rush to be reassuring, Twilight let slip too much of the truth. "Totally not what I mean. I'm saying I don't know how you'll react to-" A hand covered her mouth to catch the words, then to conceal the gasp as she registered the dark look in Fuyu's turquoise eyes. "No, no, I don't mean..."

"Are any of you  _ever_  going to trust me?" Her words lacked volume and emotion, which only caused them to feel like bricks against Twilight's eardrums.

She scrambled to dig herself out – even her gesticulations gave that impression – but instead succeeded in deepening the hole. "We do! But you're unique and I have no idea how to handle you!"

"I do not think I need to be  _handled_." The librarian had finally done it; Fuyu was spited full sore. Anger flowed freely from her eyes. Meanwhile, others were beginning to arrive and fall in line behind Twilight, waiting to place orders. "Now, I have work to do. Leave me alone."

"But..." The pale woman pointed at the door and silenced her. Defeated, Twilight shuffled out of the way and past the customers, disappearing out into the parking lot just as tears began to fall.

* * *

Seven hours of work cooled Fuyu's emotions off – it would have been a welcome feeling, except what they'd hardened into was a heavy lump of regret. Standing in the parking lot, her eyes fell on the crown of the library tree. She wasn't sure whether or not to go home.

"I don't like this," she muttered, watching the town go by. After asking herself if there were really anywhere else she could go, she began to move toward the tree in a slow hover. If the other people around were reacting any worse to her presence than normal, it fell upon blind eyes and deaf ears. Fuyu was too busy wrangling with her reaction to Twilight's sheltering, and the librarian's reaction  _to_  her reaction. "I think I might have made a mistake."

In no time she was at the front door, struggling to force her hand up and open it. It swung open abruptly, startling her enough to make her step back off the stoop.

"Welcome back," Twilight greeted, uncertain but pleasant. "I got you something!"

"Huh?" She was dragged unceremoniously into the library, then in the direction of the kitchen. "What did you get me?"

"Just a second!" Only after depositing her at the table did she reach into her pocket and produce a shining black phone. "Here. You're right."

Fuyu took it, turning it over in her hands. The back of the case had two blue stripes running horizontal through the center. "I am?" she asked while looking back up.

Twilight sat down and exhaled. "Listen, I really meant what I said. I don't want anyone to hurt you. I guess I was just coloring your experiences with my own because, as we both know, I'm not very good at social interactions sometimes. I...I just didn't want anything bad to happen to you."

She set the phone on the table and gazed blankly. "Do you think I would hurt someone if something did?"

It was returned with a firm look and a shake of the head. "Deep down? No. But everyone says that. Nobody knows what they're really capable of in the moment, and you're  _so_  strong. I'm looking out for others. Not that that will make you feel any better." The resultant smile from Fuyu made her head tilt. "What?"

"I've heard that you like to take charge." She looked down at the phone and smiled a little wider. "Maybe you have a point. All of this is still somewhat new to me. I would like to be allowed to handle it myself, though."

"Right. Of course." Twilight watched her play with the device for a moment. "I, uh, put in our numbers for you. So you could use it right away, I mean."

"Thank you. I think I will." She stood up and walked toward the steps, but hesitated and turned around. "I am very scary, aren't I?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck and nodded. "The old you is hard to forget. We try our best to hide it, but wow, is it difficult."

"Then stop trying." Fuyu floated up the stairs to the loft without a further word and settled on her bed. Her first act with the phone was not to call anyone, but instead commit the various menus and icons and screens of the device to her memory. Fifteen minutes later, she brought one such menu up and stared at it. "Now what was her number..." The digits popped up in order as her thumb flew across the display. "Yes." Once added, she called it straightaway.

Four rings passed before a voice responded. "Who is this?"

"Trixie. It's Fuyu," she replied. "I was wondering what you were doing in Canterlot."


	5. Special Delivery

Trixie departed her hotel room the next morning, filled to the brim with anxiety. She had lied to Fuyu about her reasons for being in Canterlot – a family visit being the one given – but the pale woman's voice was even harder to read without facial expressions to accompany it. Whether or not the ruse had worked was a mystery. Under Luna's direction, her medal of the Order was safely tucked away in her suitcase, as were the precious documents to be delivered.

"What have I gotten myself into," she muttered while moving down the carpeted hall. "At least the money is decent." Someone in causal clothing was at the end near the elevator, leaning against the wall with their back turned. Trixie didn't pay them much attention until reaching the doors. Squinting, she examined the other person.

They faced her and removed their hood. It was Luna. "Surprise," she said with a smile. "I wanted to see you off. Looks like I was in time."

The magician's face wrinkled. "Oh. About that..." She turned away, pretending to wait for the elevator to arrive even though she hadn't yet pressed the button to call it.

Luna didn't like her expression. Crossing her arms, the oppressive regal air she shared with her sister came flooding out of her stance. "What's with that face?"

Realizing a lie would probably land her somewhere very unpleasant, Trixie took a breath and divulged her phone call. "Fuyu knows I'm here. I had to lie to her about why."

The royal imposition vanished; Luna suddenly looked  _worried_  for a tiny instant. "How did she find out?"

Trixie cocked her head in thought. "I have no ide-" Her eyes lit up. "Applejack saw my train ticket!  _She_  must have told her."

"I do not appreciate your carelessness," the Princess hissed lowly. "If any of those five get wind of this, Twilight will. If Twilight does, my  _sister_  will. If that happens, I may never achieve the-" She pressed her lips shut and tensed visibly. "Never mind."

Despite her wish to remain out of prison – and out of a coffin – Trixie couldn't stifle her annoyance. "For your information, I wasn't expecting her to drop in at six in the morning." While she noticed the shift in demeanor, she decided not to call Luna on it. "Relax. Applejack doesn't know any better than Fuyu does. In fact, she probably knows less."

"For both our sakes, I hope you're right." Luna moved past and hit the button. "I think this goes without saying, but do not let anyone see you drop off the papers."

She nodded, but her eyes rolled during the act. "I've gone from being in a fantasy novel to being in a spy movie." The elevator doors slid open. "Here goes, I guess."

"Good luck." Luna raised her hand in a wave goodbye, allowing the gold-edged indigo crystal on her palm to glitter in the light. "And try to be careful."

Trixie barely managed to get her reply through the closing doors. "I'll do my best."

* * *

Today was shaping up to be the first true test of Fuyu's new policy. Both Cakes were back, but Pinkie had been hired away by the Mayor to prepare a meal for some local dignitary's birthday. This left Fuyu in charge of the storefront; it was now her responsibility alone to call back orders, whereas all she'd had to do earlier was talk to the cheerful baker.

And there was a  _crowd_. The weekend started tomorrow, so more people than usual were after a burst of caffeine to help get them over that last hump. While Pinkie had her experience to rely on to keep the line moving, Fuyu depended on something else. In a way, it was like her conversation with Fluttershy, except with even fewer words. They couldn't avoid watching her use her power – at least if they wanted their coffee – so they had to react.

It went better in some cases than others. Rose and her entourage were at the head of the pack, and issued a flurry of orders that the pale woman fulfilled almost by her magic and black goo alone. Remarkably, all three stayed, but a few people in the back of the line departed. The trio left after paying, and the next person in line stepped up hesitantly. Fuyu found herself looking at the Mayor, who was quite unsure about the situation.

"Large coffee, two sugars and one cream," she finally said, adjusting her glasses.

"Very well." The pale woman glanced over her shoulder to aim her black tendrils, which she did without moving her hands from her side. "Is that all?"

The Mayor stepped back as she watched the things writhing around. "Must you do that?"

"It is the most efficient way." To prove her point, she slid the cup of coffee across to the Mayor in a fashion so quick it would have made Pinkie blush with envy. "As you can see. That will be 3.50."

While she squinted at Fuyu, the pale woman waited for payment. She was looking down at her nails, however. She saw the black crystal on her palm. "Wait just a moment, where did you get that edging?" she asked, pointing at the gold trim.

She had to take a long moment to frame her answer; there was much the town still didn't know about the way she had taken out Trixie. "It's always been there," she replied at length, her hand still raised. "Why?" People were starting to try and cut in front of the Mayor by this point, but she refused to yield.

"Hmm. I would like to speak with you after your shift is done," she finally said, flicking a bill across the counter which Fuyu caught with her regular magic. "Just keep the change."

Fuyu couldn't even get out a curious sound before the next person in line came up and snatched her attention. What followed next was a solid hour of arrivals and departures. Three distinct groups of reactions eventually formed. The first were people that didn't care for the display but stayed. The Mayor, Rose, Lily, and Daisy fell into this one. Another consisted of people who actually seemed to like watching Fuyu work.

Not surprisingly, Rarity was a member of this group. "Darling, I have never seen someone make a cappuccino so fast in my  _life_ ," she gasped, grasping the small cup with her magic.

Fuyu dismissed her ebony assistants and shrugged. "I have an unfair advantage, I guess." Behind the dressmaker, two people departed before reaching the counter – this was group number three, composed of those unwilling to brave the supposed danger for their coffee. "I'm not driving away as many as I thought I would."

"You're not giving them much of a chance to run." Rarity stood to the side to allow others to get their orders in. "The morning crush has never moved quite like this."

"Mm." Fuyu looked up at the new customer and put on what she assumed was a polite smile. "What'll you have?"

The new arrival was a blonde woman with glasses and yellowish eyes that didn't seem to be looking in quite the same direction. Fuyu saw her nearly every day when she delivered mail at the library tree, but didn't yet know her name. "Um, just a hot chocolate," she muttered shyly. When the pale woman used her black helpers to start fulfilling the order, it drew a gasp from her lips. "Those look scary!"

"I suppose they do." Fuyu had to look back a bit longer to make sure she was hitting the right switches, and so wasn't facing the woman as she spoke.

"Good morning, Ditzy," Rarity said, fanning the steam off her tiny cup. "Lovely new glasses."

"Really? I had to get a new prescription, so..." Suddenly, her hot chocolate was on the counter and waiting. "Whoa. That was fast."

"I am nothing if not quick." She looked briefly at Ditzy's silver glasses and blinked. "I like that color."

"Oh, stop it." Red-faced, Ditzy placed a bill on the counter and departed with a faint giggle.

Rarity smiled as she watched her go. "There you are! Make conversation. Nothing endears one to another like idle chatter and a good compliment."

The two people behind Ditzy, having seen Fuyu's display, declined to order and left. Frowning, she looked over at the dressmaker. "You were saying?"

She frowned hard and sighed. "You'll never win them all over. Just do what you can." A clump was beginning to form at the head of the line, so Rarity emptied her cup and deposited money directly into the register with her magic. "I'd best be off. See you later."

"Right." Fuyu looked at the next person in line and sighed. "You may be correct," she muttered under her breath, "but it still bothers me."

* * *

Once the morning crush had subsided, the rest of the day was a relative breeze. Fuyu had been called back into the kitchen to assist with the confections twice, although only after ensuring that the Cakes knew she had no idea how to cook or bake anything. Her role was nothing of the sort; instead, it called upon her magic to steady a towering chocolate construction of some kind built for a client in Canterlot. While she was standing there, holding the thing up with her magic and waiting on the batter to set, Pinkie arrived.

"Omigosh guys I accidentally snorted a piece of bell pepper," she rambled upon arrival, drawing odd looks from the three of them. "What? That can totally happen." She rubbed at her nose furiously. "How did it go, Fufu?"

"Fine. Some left. Most didn't." Her concentration was still being applied to the tiers of the enormous cake on the table. "What about you?"

"It was great! I got to grill things! I didn't know I  _could_  grill things but after a couple of fires I totally got it down." She folded her arms and glared at the Cakes, who were wearing horrified expressions. "I didn't burn down city hall if that's what you're thinking."

"Of course not, dearie!" Both disappeared behind the cake as if checking its integrity. "I don't know why you'd believe we were thinking such a thing."

Pinkie stifled a long giggle. "Pff, silly. Hey, I heard the Mayor wants to talk to you!" She darted over and hung on the pale woman in as tight a hug as her position would allow. "Are you in trouble? Is that like the grown-up version of getting called to the principal's office?"

"Not that I'm aware, and I honestly wouldn't know." Her focus was absolute, despite having the baker draped all over her back. "But I should probably go soon and see her. How much longer?"

Mister Cake leaned out into view and gave her a thumbs up. "Looks fine. Have a good weekend!"

Fuyu nodded as her hands ceased to glow. "Very well. Goodbye." Pinkie, however, wouldn't let go. "I need to leave," she said, gently nudging the baker in the arm.

She whined unhappily and continued to cling. "But I just got here! I haven't even said hello! Hi! Okay now I did, but still."

"Yes, but I should not keep the Mayor waiting." After slipping out from the hug with a magical assist, she patted Pinkie on the head. "I'll be around. You can visit me at home."

"Gosh,  _fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine_." She walked over to the cake and waved with a smile. "Go do your boring meeting or whatever."

Fuyu smiled and waved back, then walked out of the kitchen and through the shop. Once outside, she decided to detach herself from the parking lot asphalt and hover to city hall. Whether or not the populace approved was below her concern; instead her mind wandered around in an attempt to figure out why the Mayor wanted to talk to her. Finding the place was easy, since she passed by it whenever visiting Rarity's boutique. It was a squat, brick building with as many stories as the one Rainbow Dash lived in, although not as narrow. A flagpole was stuck in a circle of concrete with bushes surrounding the base. The flag that flew from it was one she'd seen several times before – Twilight had said this was the national flag, which featured a half-sun, half-moon disk accompanying day and night skies, split in twain from bottom left to upper right. She watched it flutter for a moment before drifting up the wide steps and into the building.

Before she could even let her feet drop to the carpet, the raven-haired woman at the reception desk near the stairs got up and started in her direction. "She's already waiting for you." Her head tilted at the stairway.

"All right." Fuyu moved past her and began to climb them. They doubled back as they rose and dumped her onto the second floor, a space with many desks and a few people, none of which were the Mayor. She kept going up, until the stairway came to an end in a small reception area with two couches and a table. There was a door nearby, made of wood with a gold plaque at top center. "Mayor Mare," she read it out loud, then entered.

She was looking out her window as Fuyu came in; the view afforded was of downtown, looking toward the towering meeting hall. "Ah, there you are. Shut the door, if you would."

Magically, it was done. The pale woman settled in one of the two black leather chairs before the desk and looked at the Mayor's back. "Why did you want to see me?"

Before turning, she closed the blinds. Before speaking, she sat down as well and placed her hands on the desk, clasping them tightly. "First, I wanted to thank you again for saving the town. I didn't get a chance at the function because of the Princess' presence."

"Mm." She struggled to resist barging right through the pleasantries and to let the point of this gathering come to her. "It was nothing."

"It certainly wasn't." The Mayor leaned forward and assumed an air that was almost threatening. "Which leads me to why I asked you here. How did you do it, exactly?"

Fuyu crossed her arms and frowned a little. "You're just asking me this now?"

"I wouldn't have been curious had I not seen the edging on your jewels. In fact, if I'd not seen the jewels  _period_. Last I heard, you had cuts on your palms that leaked some sort of black fluid."

And just like that her arms fell limp into her lap. She hadn't thought anything of her diversion; keeping the memory had, with time, become unnecessary. Bon Bon and Lyra hadn't brought it up again, so she'd assumed none of the others in their makeshift posse did either. In retrospect, she wondered why she had ever assumed her actions would stay quiet. Her mouth curled down as she inhaled. "Yes. So?"

The Mayor leaned ever farther forward, squinting through her glasses. "What did you do with the amulet?"

Now frozen with a fear she hadn't known since Rainbow Dash caught her feeding, Fuyu was silent and wide-eyed. While she wasn't a stranger to lying, she knew doing so now was probably a bad idea. There were, however, no parts of the truth she felt comfortable with giving to a relative stranger – and then, of course, there were the parts she had to keep hidden from  _everyone_. While she fought to find an answer, her pants began to emit a generic ringtone. "Huh?" She retrieved her phone and peeked at the screen, where a photo of a smiling Twilight greeted her. "Oh. I should probably answer this."

"If you must," the Mayor relented, no shortage of disdain in her voice. Fuyu rose and strode out of the office, closing the door behind her.

The librarian was a bit too chipper in her greeting. "Hey! I hope you're getting overtime."

"Help," Fuyu breathed, glancing back at the door she'd just exited through. "The Mayor is asking me questions that I can't answer."

"Wha—why is she even talking to you? I haven't spoken to her since after the Princess left the party. I thought everything was fine."

The pale woman paced, realized she'd picked up the habit from Twilight, liked doing it, and kept going. "She saw my crystals and she knows I didn't have them before. Remember what I did to distract Trixie? Someone told her."

"Ohhhhh boy. Um. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"There's no time for you to drive." Fuyu looked out the nearest window and saw the towering branches of the library. "Go to the balcony. I'll fly over and pick you up."

"Erk. I don't think that's a good idea...then again we may not have a choice. All right. I'm walking up now."

Fuyu hung up and quietly opened the window with her magic. A peek out revealed several people on the street below, going about their business. Grumbling, she threw herself from the building and began to drop. After ten feet, her magic overwhelmed gravity and stopped her fall; in a second more it began to propel her along. The surprised shouts of those below only reached her ears for a moment until she had rocketed out of range. She alighted on the balcony not thirty seconds later, next to Twilight's precious telescope.

"Good grief!" the librarian exclaimed, coming out of the double doors. "You beat me up the stairs!"

"I'm in a hurry," Fuyu replied, pointing her left hand at Twilight, who squeaked as a sparkling black cloud of force enveloped her. "Let's go."

"Okay, just-" Whatever she had wanted to say was lost to a squeal when they went airborne. "Fuyu! Slow down!" The rooftops and trees flashed by under them at such a rate that Twilight tried to fight against their forward momentum. As the side of city hall came up on them like a charging bull, she slammed her eyes closed.

The expected impact never materialized. Fuyu gently threaded her friend through the open window, slid in after, and closed it behind them. While Twilight braced herself on the back of a couch to calm down, the pale woman took to pacing again.

Her demeanor was intimately familiar. "A-are you freaking out?" Twilight asked, finally collected enough to straighten. She issued one full-body shake, however, in an attempt to fling off the tingling of the telekinesis.

"No. Maybe." Fuyu regarded her with a tense glance. "I don't know what to say to her to make her stop so I can stay here."

Twilight's gaze hardened. "She's not going to make you go anywhere. Come on."

A very surprised Mayor stood up as the librarian entered her office. After a brief moment of confusion, she regained her composure and peered at the women. "Miss Sparkle. I wasn't expecting you."

She smoothed down some of the hair that Fuyu's breakneck speed had messed up and nodded. "Yes. I got wind of your meeting and decided to drop by." A small smile ran by as she considered her pun. "Although I would like to know the purpose. What's going on?"

"I'm simply tying up a few loose ends." The Mayor seated herself once more and looked at each of them in turn. "Such as the whereabouts of the amulet. And the jewels that I thought weren't supposed to be there. And what magic was she using before, exactly? What Lyra described to me didn't sound like the power I'm used to seeing."

Twilight was just as nervous now as her friend had been before, but unlike the pale woman she managed to recover. Her tone became somewhat akin to an attorney. "First, I have the amulet. Second, you are seeing Fuyu's hands as they were before her...injury."

That was close enough to the truth to make Fuyu squirm with discomfort, but as far as Twilight knew she was just adding to the lie being woven.

It appeared to be working. "I see," the Mayor murmured. "That still doesn't explain what was coming from her palms."

Twilight crossed her legs and looked as learned as any professor that had ever lived. "Madame Mayor, our jewels act as vents to regulate the flow of magic through our bodies. If we lose them, that magic compresses until it solidifies, and, if not dealt with, kills us. Lyra probably saw her trying to eject compressed magic out of her hands."

If there were any ambiguity about how effective the librarian was being, it vanished with the gasp. "That sounds painful!"

"You have no idea," Fuyu said, looking down at her black jewels. The truth sat heavy on her chest, but the outward expression of her pain was still vague enough to avoid triggering Twilight's concern.

"I don't think it would be fair to make her dig all these memories up again, do you?" She smiled as the Mayor nodded. "Good. Have I addressed all of your concerns?"

"Yes, but I'm curious. How did she lose her original jewels?"

Holding the answer in became too much for the pale woman to bear. Emotion bent her in half, placing her elbows on her knees and hiding her face just as the tears arrived. The only other time Twilight had seen her cry like this was the morning after the tornado at Applejack's farmhouse.

It rattled her deeply. "Mayor, please," she stammered, rubbing Fuyu on the shoulder, "Don't make her relive it again." She leaned closer to whisper to the pale woman. "Are you all right?"

"Can I go now?" she replied through her shaking fingers.

The Mayor was just as uneasy and motioned to the door. "Of course, I'm sorry." Both of them watched Fuyu depart posthaste. "I truly am sorry. I had no idea," she added, looking at Twilight.

The librarian paired a weak smile with her deeply uncertain eyes and shrugged. "It's all right. Her past is a very touchy subject." Quickly, she got to her feet to see where Fuyu had gone.

"Wait, before you go...what about the edging? I thought..."

She had the perfect lie instantly; it took her far longer to frame the words just right to allow for maximum deniability later on. "That only Princesses had them?" she finished, looking down. "Well." Her tacked on expression was flawless, so flawless it made the Mayor gasp and cover her mouth. "Please keep this quiet."

"Of course."

Unwilling to wait any longer, Twilight excused herself and darted out of the office, hoping Fuyu hadn't gotten too far. She found the woman on one of the couches right outside, seated and hunched over. "You're one heck of an actress," she laughed nervously, sitting down with her.

"I suppose." Her tone lacked any of its usual strength.

Twilight tilted away and blinked. Her own mind was starting to light up with anxiety. "You  _were_  acting, weren't you?" The pale woman wouldn't answer. "Oh no, was I telling the truth by accident? What did I get right?" Suddenly, she gasped. "Did you remember something? Was it what happened to your hands?"

"Can we  _not_ talk about this right now?" Fuyu growled those words. She couldn't help it; her nerves were raw from the outburst. "Please."

"Sure. I-I'm sorry. You're just worrying me." She stood up as the pale woman did and followed her to the window. "Really, though, are you okay?"

"I'm fine enough." She opened the window with her power and flung herself through it, disappearing for a moment. When she floated back into view, she motioned for Twilight. "Come on."

"I will never get used to this..." The librarian's exit was far less graceful, and she yelped with the fall until the pressure of Fuyu's magic cushioned and stopped her. "Geez. I wish I could lift people."

"Mm." They took off together, although the trip back was slower. The distance was still covered in fairly short order. Fuyu set Twilight down on the balcony before letting herself land. "If you don't mind, I think I will take a nap."

"No, no, of course not. I need to head back downstairs anyway." In an instant she was by herself on the balcony, which gave her the chance to wrangle with her thoughts. "What did I say to set her off?" She couldn't figure it out, although running over her last words to the Mayor suddenly introduced a startling possibility. The gold trim had been thrown on the enormous pile of things that were odd about Fuyu and forgotten, but insinuating that she had it due to being a Princess – a blood-related one, not by marriage like herself – caused Twilight to think hard.

"Why  _does_ she have that trim?" she asked lowly, tapping her chin.

* * *

Trixie arrived back at her apartment long after the sun had died behind the hills, an exhausted and nervous wreck. Somehow, not having seen Fuyu on the cab ride into and through Ponyville only made her more uneasy. Too spent to unpack, she rolled her suitcase into the bedroom, retrieved only the envelope with the documents, and fell on her couch to wait for the night to grow a little older. A thought about calling the pale woman crossed her mind, but she dismissed it instead for a brief nap.

Sleep refused to come. She had the distinct feeling she was going down a rabbit hole of indeterminate depth, and imagining what awaited her at the bottom was unnerving to say the least. Muttering to herself, she rose and wandered over to her window to look outside.

"So much for the stage life," she sighed, looking at the darkened library tree in the distance. "Never even made it to Manehattan." An attempt to perk herself up had mixed success, but she smiled anyway. "At least I don't have to sleep in a glorified trailer in the creepy as hell woods."

Looking back at the table, her eyes fell on the packet. While she might have been curious about its contents, something told her that peeking would end badly; she didn't put it past Luna to have magicked the thing to explode if anyone but Fuyu tried to look inside. Scowling, she glanced back out the window. "They have to be asleep by now. I may as well get this over with." After snatching the packet up, she slid on her sneakers and walked out. Once she emerged from the building and onto the sidewalk, she snapped her eyes around to gauge how alone she was. Ponyville itself seemed to be slumbering, but the magician was too paranoid about being see to take any chances. Once she crossed the road, she darted into the nearest alley and began her trek.

From shadow to shadow she moved, clumsily at times, desperate to remain out of sight. A few minute walk from the apartments to the library turned into half an hour of hiding, whispering prayers whenever someone passed by too closely, and lying in wait for opportunities to move. When the great tree came fully into view, all the windows were dark.

"Thank goodness." Trixie ducked down behind a bush to catch her breath, and also to contemplate where to put the packet so only Fuyu would find it. A slow walkaround of the tree yielded no acceptable answer. The stoop was out; Twilight would likely find it first when she checked her mail. Anywhere else might be too well-concealed for Fuyu to see. Grumbling, she looked up through the branches at the stars. Her eyes fell on the balcony, and she grinned. "Perfect." With her magic, she slowly threaded the precious cargo through the limbs and leaves, then slotted it through the railing and let it drop. Once sure it was up there for good, she turned and moved quickly away from the tree.

Fuyu, standing on the balcony and looking up at the sky, had felt Trixie's magical spark wandering around, although she didn't know it was the magician. While she had been curious about how close the tingling had come to her, she was in no hurry to investigate until the sound of the packet hitting the deck reached her ears. She walked over and picked it up, blinking at it. "What is this?" A movement from her left made her look – it was Trixie, retreating down the street too close to a lamppost, and at a conspicuous pace. She glanced several times between the envelope and Trixie, letting her eyes rest on the latter until she vanished out of sight.


	6. Project Winter

"Twilight, I sure do wish y'all would get whatever is botherin' you off your chest, 'cause you standin' around and bein' pensive as all hell ain't gettin' these apples down."

Scolded hard enough to visibly wince, she turned to Applejack with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm just thinking about something."

"No kiddin'? I'm listenin'." She hefted a bushel of apples up and into the old red truck's bed. "And don't ya dare clam up, either. Ain't seen ya like this in a while." She leaned against the side of the vehicle and doffed her hat, looking up at the cloudy morning sky.

With a sigh, Twilight screwed up her courage – but not before looking down at the jewels in her palms. "I said something yesterday that's really bothering me. Did anyone tell you what happened with Fuyu?"

"'Bout the Mayor? Yeah. Heard it from Pinkie." The blonde folded her arms and glowered. "Damn that woman. Stickin' her nose in where it don't belong."

"I guess. When I was covering for her, I insinuated that Fuyu's crystals were edged because she was a Princess." While collecting her thoughts, she glanced down at her own again, paying special attention to the gold trim. "Maybe...maybe I wasn't wrong."

Applejack straightened up, eyes bulging. "Say what?"

Twilight walked over and stood on the blonde's left. Based on her body language, a ramble was coming on. "Remember when Shining got married and I became a Princess? Remember  _after_  the ceremony when Celestia took me aside?" She turned her palm and showed Applejack her purple crystal. "That's when she gave me the trim. 'The distinguishing mark of a Princess of the Realm', she told me. I've been trying to figure out why the amulet gave them to Fuyu, but I have no answers."

"Well, does Fuyu have any idea? Couldn't hurt ta ask." Applejack blinked at the firmness of Twilight's head shaking. "Why not?"

"I said I didn't have answers, but I have theories. When I left Ponyville after Trixie attacked, I went looking for the national magical artifact registry – which, by the way, is technically classified, so I didn't tell you any of this." Movement off to the right caught their attention and forced the librarian to pause. It turned out to be a flock of birds. "I wanted to find the amulet."

The blonde nodding, shifting her weight to get a little more comfortable. "I've heard this part. Then y'all talked ta Celestia and she acted all weird, right?"

" _Yes_!" Twilight threw her hands up in frustration. "I was just happy that everything was all right when I got back, and I didn't want to make a scene at the party for Fuyu's sake, but the Princess was acting so weird. That's where my theories come in. I think she had something to do with that amulet. Maybe it was in the registry and got out of her custody somehow?"

"Could be. So what if she lost it? I lose crap all the time." Applejack chuckled lowly, only to shrink back and fall silent under a withering glare.

Twilight's tone was just as grave. "Fuyu said it was her amulet. That's the problem. Why would Celestia have it if it originally belonged to Fuyu?"

"Uh...well..." Applejack stared off into space while searching for an answer. None would come. "Whoa. I don't get it either. Hey, what if they got into a fight and Fu got banished or something? Does that make any sense?"

"I would have heard about a fight between Princesses." Collecting herself with a deep breath, Twilight leaned against the truck again. "And on top of this, Fuyu says she remembers being in the Castle, or at least the gardens. Damn it! They're connected and I can't figure out how!"

The blonde had figured something out by this point, something that made her eyes bulge with surprise. "Uh oh."

"What?"

She snapped her fingers. "The party! Fu and the Princess talked for dang near a whole hour! I bet she knows what's up and she can't tell ya."

"Of course!" Twilight visibly perked up and deflated again just as quickly. "She's in the Order now. Conversations between its members and the Princesses are considered official business. Even if I wanted to ask her what they talked about, I can't. I'd end up in jail."

Applejack patted her on the shoulder. "This is messed up."

"Oh, it gets worse. Why did she know who  _I_ was? What is that black goo? How can she sense other people's magic? Ugh!" Twilight hid her eyes and continued to groan. "And what really gets me is that I can't make myself tell Fuyu any of this. She's dealing with enough as it is. All my crazy ideas would completely freak her out." Her hand fell away abruptly. "Wait...no wonder she's seemed so stressed out the past couple of weeks. She's had to hide whatever the Princess told her."

"Hey, why don't ya tell her ya know...uh,  _something_?" Applejack smiled nervously against the librarian's questioning look. "Just tell her you know that she knows, but nobody has ta tell anybody what they know. That way Fu can hide whatever it is without hidin' that she's hidin' it, and you can admit that ya have questions without really askin' 'em!"

"Wh-what?" Twilight brightened up when she got it, but the process took a few seconds. "Applejack, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?"

"No offense, Twi, but sometimes ya can't see the forest for the trees." They both laughed briefly. "Seriously, I think y'all could do with gettin' at least a little off your chests."

"Maybe so. Fuyu's still developing emotionally. She doesn't need to be dealing with my stress on top of that, so I'd have to be careful. I wonder if she's awake." Twilight drew her phone and was just about to dial, but couldn't make her fingers tap the screen. "Nah. It can wait. She hasn't gotten much time by herself lately, I don't want to bother her."

"Hey," Applejack hesitated long enough for her to look over, "What if you're right? What if they  _did_  know her before?"

Twilight slumped again and sighed. "There's not much I can do. I can try asking the Princess, but I already know I'll get nowhere."

"What about Luna? Y'all text each other a bunch, right?" Applejack asked, rubbing her chin in thought.

Instantly she smiled and straightened up. "You know what? That isn't a bad idea."

* * *

At that moment, Fuyu was in the rear entryway of the library tree with Spike, who was sliding on his shoes. "Just tell Twilight I'll be a while. I have no idea what Rarity wants me to do at the boutique."

She nodded. "Very well. I'll tell her if she calls."

"Cool. If anyone tries to return a book, they'll use the slot out back. I posted a notice on the front door." He jerked with surprise as a car horn honked outside. "That's her. See you later!"

"Goodbye." Fuyu watched him zip out the door and, with her magic, closed it behind him. "Finally," she sighed, her face darkening. Taking to the air, she floated with haste back up to the loft. Once there, she used her magic to lift her air mattress and retrieve the manila packet. It was unopened; she hadn't bothered trying to look at it until she could guarantee being alone, although she somehow knew her flying off at random would attract unwanted attention. Biding time proved easy. She'd been doing something like it for five years.

Inside the envelope was a neatly-stacked packet of documents which she slid out and held. The first was a cover sheet, and the few words, placed dead center, were enough to set her mind afire with stunned curiosity.

  
**Project Winter**   


**Compressed Magic Storage Report**

"What  _is_  this?" Flipping the page revealed another with a single paragraph up top, hand-written in flowing cursive that she struggled a bit to read.

_Your Highness,_

_As per your instructions, a preliminary study of the required amount of subjects to achieve saturation of the crystalline container unit has yielded a number of approximately 4,400. Our cross-department interactions with the Ministry of Interior has lead us to believe that they can supply the needed bodies from the prison system, with the caveat that so many executions at once may seem...conspicuous. The Ministry of Interior may need to be further employed to upgrade the sentences of more violent general population prisoners. The science has been done in this regard; we only need the corpses now._

"What?" She looked down past that paragraph at a regally-scribbled sentence, the only other text on this sheet. "'Do what needs to be done.'" Despite the lack of any other context, Fuyu still knew who had written it. "You! Is this what you promised me?"

Flipping this page lead to another with printed words and a diagram at the bottom. The diagram was the amulet – not the entire thing, but the central jewel and its immediate frame – and a few notes in the margins. The text wove a tale of how the crystal had been designed to act like the human skeletal structure, which to Fuyu's surprise was where the great majority of magic was concentrated. The jewel could hold a far denser amount of magic than bone, however. As she read, subsequent paragraphs detailed the process of converting people into fuel. "'Living subjects must be crushed under extremely high pressures. Deceased subjects leak too much magic in the first twelve hours to be viable.'" What she read next almost caused her to drop the packet. "'Sufficient crushing pressure yields highly-dense magical superfluid of a black color. For purposes of simplicity, we'll call this the 'black goo'. Testing on the goo reveals that its molecules react to electrical stimuli as well as exposure to external magic. It becomes rigid or flexible under the former, and soaks up the latter like a sponge.'"

She did toss the papers down after reading that sentence, snapping a rope of ebony out of her right palm to glare at it. "You're made of people," she hissed. "Is that why you yelled at me for food? Because you needed more of them to survive?" After dismissing it with equal ire, she snatched the documents up again and started to flip through them. Some of them comprised an extensive listing of people that had been killed – ten pages in all, with over two hundred names per page – while others confirmed her earlier suspicions. "'The goo is inert unless subjected to a constant electric current.' I already  _know_  that. 'Our experiments with the jewel bearers (who were less than cooperative) show the substance will readily suck magic from living creatures.' I already know that, too." The remainder of the stack was further information about the crystal in the amulet – how it reacted with the goo, amongst other things, and both turned out to be quite similar to each other, and an emergency source of fuel in case the amulet were lost – living humans. What Fuyu hadn't found yet was a mention of herself, something that annoyed her to the point where she began to skim through to find one. Page after page of chilly scientific notes and vaguely bureaucratic nonsense yielded nothing until the very last sheet she looked at.

Here was another scribbled note, in Celestia's handwriting. As she moved the page around, something in the top right corner caught her attention. After some trial and error, it finally showed up and became clear in direct light; a ghostly representation of the sun was embossed there, a shape roughly the same as her medal of the Order. "What is this?" Blinking, she looked at the note:

_I am ordering Project Winter to be re-purposed. Twilight, I believe, will be fine. I need the being for something more important now._

"The...the being?" Dumbfounded, Fuyu let the packet slip from her hand as she sat roughly on her bed. "The  _being_?" Magically she snatched the papers off the floor and stared at the cover sheet. "My name is-" Her eyes fell on the word, causing her to slump sadly. "Winter." Before she could get too much farther down her sad path, a question tugged at her brain. "Re-purposed? For what?" A search of the documents yielded nothing; as best she could figure out they had been arranged in chronological order. Her melancholy yielded to mild anger. "Am I ever going to get the whole story from you?" Gritting her teeth, she put them back into their envelope and stood up. Once they were again hidden, she paced. "What was I doing after you decided I didn't need to kill Twilight?"

For several minutes, she traced an unhappy path around the loft, grumbling lowly to herself in thought. Suddenly, another question popped up, one that froze her mid-stride. "Where did this come fr-" She knew that already. While her magical sensor detected Twilight as it always did when she was around, it had also picked up another source of power, one that had come almost directly underneath her last night as she stood on the balcony. Upon recalling the event, she realized she had tracked it all the way to the point where she'd seen Trixie under the lamppost and retreating. The spark had been one and the same. Every other tingling notice was either still, or too far away to be the one she'd felt moving around.

The pale woman's anger flared up again, though this time tinted with confusion. "How did she  _get_  this?!" Her first inkling was to call, but somehow she knew this would be dealt with best in a face-to-face conversation. She placed her phone in her pants pocket and hovered down the stairs, moving out the front door and staring down the street at the apartment building, whose top she could barely see. It took every ounce of restraint to not fly off at breakneck speed; her display yesterday had caused quite a stir, and she still wished to ingratiate herself to the populace. It had taken a backseat to what she'd just read, but still nagged at her enough to force her into a quick, low-altitude hover instead.

Never rising more than six inches off the ground, Fuyu shot down the street and crossed it to enter the building, shedding her decorum and launching herself up the stairs with frightening speed. Once on the second floor, she peered into the peepholes of each door until her eye detected Trixie through one, apparently napping on her couch. Instead of knocking, she twisted the doorknob. It was locked, so she used the black goo to defeat the lock and enter. The magician continued to snooze lightly as she walked up to the couch. "Trixie!" she bellowed.

"Gah!" She fell off in a heap, landing back up and gasping for air. "Fuyu! How did you get in here?"

The pale woman glowered down. "Do you think a door can stop me?"

Usually even and calm, Fuyu's voice was angry and cold and demanding. It turned Trixie's blood to ice. "Wh-what's this about?" she stammered, looking over her shoulder.

"You left the envelope on the balcony last night, didn't you? Is that why you went to Canterlot?"

Her heart froze almost as solid as the substance it was supposed to be pumping. Like a crab, she scooted away from the unhappy Fuyu until her back bumped against the wall under her window. "W-what a-are you talking about?" A writhing black rope shot out and wrapped around her mouth before she could scream at its appearance.

"You lied to me about your trip, do  _not_  lie to me again." Her every word was a double-bladed dagger of seething rage. She moved closer and knelt down before Trixie, who was too scared to tremble or even cry. "I felt you moving around. I know you did it. I want to hear you say it." The rope withdrew enough to clear the magician's mouth. "Choose your next words carefully."

Trixie had only enough composure for one. "Yes!" She closed her eyes and waited for the end to come, but all that happened was the complete retraction of the cold, black goo. Her eyes fluttered open and beheld a still displeased, but somewhat calmer Fuyu leering above.

"Get up." Fuyu watched Trixie obey with immediate haste, although her stance was tense and defensive. "I'm sorry. I..." Upon realizing she had just taken out her emotions on the poor woman, she sighed and looked away. "I read some awful things. I don't know what to think right now."

She began to laugh with excessive nervousness, desperate to defuse the situation. "I hope you know that old line about not shooting the messenger?"

Her words managed, somehow, to draw a smile. "I do, believe it or not." Fuyu sat down on the blue sofa and sighed again. "Where did you get it? Is it something you found?"

"I don't really know how to answer this without dying." Trixie was unwilling to approach, and decided to sit on the floor where she stood. "Caught between two angry women. I'm reminded of that one time I stayed a little too long in Trottingham and ended up dating."

"I'm not going to kill you." Fuyu folded her arms and settled back. "But I'm not leaving until you answer my questions."

"I was afraid you'd say that." More terrified of the possible death right in front of her than the possible death residing hundreds of miles away in Canterlot, Trixie cracked instantly. "I got them from Princess Luna. I don't know where she got them, I swear. Actually, I don't know a lot of anything, so that's a good reason to  _not_  impale me on a pike! Right?"

She glanced over with a darkly curious look. "Why did she give them to you?"

At last, the magician got up and came closer, wringing her hands with anxiety all the way. "I received a letter from her about a week ago." She pointed at the smartphone on the table. "That was enclosed. We've been in contact ever since. In exchange for keeping an eye on you and delivering things for her, I would get to stay out of jail."

Fuyu blinked. "What did Celestia say about that?"

"I asked the same thing. Apparently, her sister wasn't interested in putting me in jail either. I haven't any idea why." She sat down on the other end of her couch and sighed. "What was in those papers? I've never seen such anger from you. I mean, besides the time...you know."

"Not important. I want more." Her tone was terribly stern. "When will you see her again?"

"I don't know. She arranges the meetings." Trixie caught the pale woman staring at her phone. "I'm not going to call her now, if that's what you're thinking."

"There's too much for me to digest as it is." Fuyu stood up and turned her back. "Did Luna tell you anything about me that you didn't already know?"

"Not really, and believe me, I asked several times. I thought you were related to the Princesses, but she said no, and she also said your given name was Winter. I'm not sure how she knew that, but I didn't press." She tilted her head at the tension in Fuyu's stance. "Uh, are you all right?"

Fuyu snapped back at her, the gentle volume of her words only increasing the sting. "Of course not. Why did you think I was related to them?"

"Your crystals have gold trim. Only a Princess has that. Well, and Twilight, surprisingly."

"She's a Princess by marri-" When it hit her, she stopped speaking and lifted her hand to stare down at her palms. "Why do I..." A deeply unhappy groan passed through her lips. "They're leaving things out again."

Trixie grew nervous. She decided to try and console her friend. "Luna says she's trying to give you the truth. It will take some time."

The option was distasteful, but Fuyu realized it was her best, if not only choice. "Very well. Let's keep this conversation to ourselves." As she moved toward the door, Trixie stood up and followed.

"Good idea! I'll try to urge her into giving me more stuff to give to you. I don't know how long that will take." They stopped in the small entryway. "I'm sorry. About everything. I'm in way over my head."

"I think I am too." Fuyu gave her an awkward hug and strode through the door. "I need to go. I have more reading to do."

* * *

Twilight returned to the library tree about an hour after Fuyu got back. After getting the door closed, an eerie silence swept over her. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, but she was unable to figure out why. From the quiet she knew Spike was still gone, but it was  _so_  quiet that she didn't immediately know if the pale woman were still around. Only after walking carefully into the kitchen did she find her, seated at the table with a book in her hand. "Oh! There you are. Didn't know if you were even home. Feeling better from yesterday?"

"Sorry, and yes, I suppose." She didn't look up. "How is Applejack?"

Something about her tone was too even; it made Twilight quiver as she went over to the fridge. "Fine, fine. We stopped for lunch, I'm heading back soon. You want to come along?"

She still didn't look up. "Yes."

Twilight had enough. There was such a concentration of tension in that single word that she shut the refrigerator door, walked over, and sat at the table. "Fuyu, listen, I know. I know about what happened at the party."

Fuyu was surprised enough to almost drop the book. "Wh-what?" she stammered, wide-eyed. Most of her brain was suddenly dedicated to figuring out how the librarian had gotten this information. "How did you..."

"Hold on." Twilight clasped her hands and took on a gentle posture. "I know you talked about something that can't be disclosed." She watched the pale woman deflate with what she hoped was relief. "I knew it. No wonder you've been so quiet. Er, more than usual. I assume, anyway, because I don't really know what  _usual_  is for you just yet."

Confusion and terror were fighting for prominence in Fuyu's brain, while relief was darting about outside the storm and looking for a way to wedge itself in. Before she lost control of her mouth, she decided to figure out what it was that Twilight knew. "Did you hear us?"

"No. But you two talked for a long time, so I'm guessing the amulet and your history came up." The librarian sighed deeply. "I have so many questions, but I'm not going to prod you for answers because you have enough to deal with. I mean, you're building a life from scratch. When you're ready, we can deal with this stuff."

"No, we can't." Fuyu looked away and down at the floor, more somber than Twilight had ever seen her.

"Was...was it that bad?" She watched the pale woman nod. "Oh. Wow. Okay, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Just, uh, just know that I know that  _you_  know, and that it's fine."

Fuyu shook her head at the odd wording, but smiled. "All right."

"Good! Good. Still driving me nuts, though." She laid her head on the table and groaned. "Hey, there's one little thing I want to ask you," she said, tilting her head to look over. "If you can't answer it, just say so."

"Okay."

She sat up. "Did she tell you why the amulet gave you the gold edges on your jewels?"

The pale woman's eyes grew suddenly dark. "No. I wish she had, but she didn't."

"Uh..." The vague rage was making Twilight nervous. She withdrew until the back of her chair stopped her. "You look even angrier than you did this morning. What's wrong?"

Fuyu rose from her chair, picked up her book and snapped it shut. "You're not the only one without the whole story." Like a tiger, she stalked up the stairs. "Let me know when you're ready to return to the orchard."

"R-right! I won't be too long." Smiling wide despite the fact her friend couldn't see it, Twilight waited until she was out of sight to let her emotions change. "Good grief," she murmured while hugging herself. "What did you tell her, Princess?"

For the first time, thinking about that, and the situation as a whole, was making her bitterly uncomfortable.


	7. Perception is Everything

"I know that look, Luna. The answer is still no."

The two sisters were seated at the table in the dining room of the elder's living quarters, ostensibly eating breakfast. For Luna it was more like dinner; her sleep schedule never really matched up with Celestia's since she despised the sun. Growling lowly, the younger Princess used her telekinesis to pilfer an omelette. "Why not? I keep telling you it would help me to see her."

Celestia's brow furrowed, both at the reply and at the fact that she'd wanted that omelette herself. "You know exactly why. She'd start asking questions none of us can answer without...problems."

"No,  _that_  is the problem. You have serious trust issues, sister." Luna smirked at her sister's regal glare, letting the expression slide past. "Glower all you like. Your distrust of Twilight is what got us into this mess in the first place." She concluded her statement with a series of painful-sounding coughs.

"Are you all r-" The elder Princess fell silent as Luna waved her off, then composed herself and sat straight. "Good. I have a heart attack whenever you cough."

"Remember how bad it used to be?" They both fell silent and gazed at each other, wrangling with a shared memory too painful to manifest in words. "I'm fine. Relax."

"Hmm." After some time had passed, Celestia regarded her sister with a pointed look. "Why are you so keen to see Winter?"

She was legitimately taken aback and folded her arms. "I cannot believe you are even asking me such a thing. You know exactly why."

"I don't think it would help." Celestia chomped down on a piece of toast out of annoyance.

"Stop being obstinate. She needs the truth and I need the closure." Luna glared at her sister's stony visage and pounded her fist on the table. "Winter has the right to know!"

Celestia didn't even bother to raise her voice. "Winter has enough to deal with at the moment, don't you think?" She punctuated her words with a sip of tea from her magically suspended cup.

"You can't hide it forever. If she finds out on her own, the outcome will be so much worse than if we just confess. And what about Twilight? How do you think  _she_  will react?"

She tried to feign anger but lacked the strength; Luna was right, but Celestia knew no other way than to keep hiding the secret. "Leave her out of this, and none of them will find out. I have no intention of keeping my promise to Winter. Any part of the truth is too dangerous a thing to allow her."

Luna leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and loosed a dark snarl. "The depths of your paranoia continue to astound me. You were terrified of Twilight; she turned out fine. I believe Winter will too,  _if we give her the entire picture_."

"I am not being paranoid!" she snapped in reply, glaring wide-eyed. "I have a country to run, a people to protect. Winter is a potential weapon of mass destruction! I dare not give her such information. Who can say what her mental state would become?"

"If she qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction, so do I. So do  _you_."

Luna's logic cut Celestia straight to the bone. Helpless, she stared at her plate for several seconds before screwing up her resolve and looking at her sister. "That is beside the point. She is incredibly dangerous and I have no wish to set her off."

"If you choose to label her actions as dangerous, well, I have no idea how to even respond to that." They shared another series of unhappy looks before Luna pressed on. "She has twice risked her life to save people she barely knew. And by the way, I've told you repeatedly how Twilight and her friends have closed around her. This wouldn't be something she'd have to handle alone."

" _No_. Twilight will get curious and I can't answer her questions either. Let it go. This is how it has to be." Celestia blinked at the sudden sadness that marked Luna's face. "Wh-"

She was very close to crying out of sheer frustration. "Give me  _something_ , damn it."

It was a dagger to Celestia's heart. "What? What can I give you that won't backfire on us?"

Luna hid her eyes and slumped over. "Just let me see her in person. Just once. Is that so much to ask?"

"Why?" Her tone was so gentle now as to be almost inaudible.

"We built her. She's...she's like our child. I feel responsible for her."

While she'd heard this before, to see it affect her sister so deeply troubled Celestia to no end. For several moments, only the quiet sound of the younger Princess' crying filled the air until, finally, she could bear the noise no more. "Very well. I will need some reason to bring her here without arousing suspicion."

Luna's mood brightened instantly. She got up and threw herself at her sister in a tight hug. "About time," she sniffled, smirking weakly.

Celestia laughed, patting her lightly on the back. "You're as stubborn as any mule. I still need to come up with some reason for her to make the trip."

"I'm sure you'll think of one." Exhausted, Luna pulled away and wiped her face with the sleeve of her hoodie.

She smiled wryly and nodded. "Of course. Just be sure not to sleep through it. You'll only get this one chance."

Her face went sour, but she relented to the condition and shrugged. "Very well. At least I finally got you to budge on something."

Celestia rose with a sigh and walked past. "You know I can't stand to see you cry. Well, I'd better get to work. Where are you off to?"

Shuffling after her, Luna scratched at her hair and groaned. "I believe it's just about my bedtime. See you at dusk."

"Good...night, Luna."

They exchanged another hug before the younger Princess departed and began wandering down the hall. Her face shifted into a hard gaze just as soon as she confirmed that no one was within sight. "One chance, is it? I only need one chance to set this right." She stalked to her bedroom and quickly went to grab her smartphone off the nightstand. Her fingers flew over the screen as she sent a message to Trixie.

_Do you know if she's read the files yet?_

So interested in the response was she that she actually counted off the seconds in her head while waiting for one to arrive. Exactly seventy-six of those ticks later, one did appear on the screen.

_No I don't. I haven't seen her today._

"Damn it." Luna sucked in an angry breath through her clenched teeth before typing again.

_Find out. Discreetly. I need proof that she hasn't gone off the deep end._

The conversation was over, at least as far as she was concerned, but before she could toss her phone away a reply arrived.

_With all due respect, if she had we'd probably be dead by now._

* * *

Applejack requested the help of her friends around noon, but by the time Twilight and Fuyu arrived at the orchard the rest of them were already there. This was mostly the dawdling librarian's fault; Fuyu had flown them in from town, attracting a series of oohs and ahs as they landed by the old red truck.

"Sorry we're late," Twilight apologized, trying to shake off the tingles. "I couldn't decide which shoes to wear."

"Sounds like somebody I know." Rainbow nudged Rarity in the side and cackled, only to yelp when she received a disgruntled slap to the back of her head. "Ow!"

"Shoes are an  _extremely_  important decision, I'll have you know." The dressmaker, still fuming, walked over and smiled at the pale woman. "I didn't know you could carry people. Rainbow Dash must be  _so_  jealous."

"Oh, shut up!"

Applejack rolled her eyes. "All right, all right, we're gonna have enough of a time gettin' these apples down without y'all bein' testy." She doffed her hat and gazed out over the hills. "This is gonna be the last harvest of the year. Need all the fruit I can get so we can keep money in the bank."

"How many trees do we have to get to?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack spread her arms wide, indicating virtually everything in sight. "Oh...oh my."

Rarity nodded and sighed. "Exactly. We'd better get to it if we don't want to sleep out here."

"Ooh! That would be fun! A big sleepover in the orchard with everyone!" Pinkie lagged behind the group as they started to move. "I didn't bring my sleeping bag. I hope the grass is soft."

Twilight and Fuyu moved up to walk with the blonde. "Where is your family?" the latter asked, glancing around.

She glowered ahead as the thought annoyed her. "Apple Bloom's got the flu, which is why I called y'all off yesterday. Granny and Big Mac went west again. They weren't quite done when they had ta come back 'cause of the tornado, and my idiot cousin is about as good at growin' apples as I am playin' the violin."

"I see." Fuyu watched Rarity and Rainbow continue to jaw with each other, while an extremely hyper Pinkie Pie orbited Fluttershy and waved her arms. She was speaking much too fast for any of them to understand. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to use my full power to do this. It'll go faster."

Twilight looked across and blinked. "Full power? What does that mean?"

An angry grin bent Fuyu's thin lips. "Let's find out."

"Whoa." Applejack withdrew at her tone and poked Twilight. "What's goin' on here? Did y'all have another talk?"

"Oh, I don't know. Fuyu's really mad at something, but she can't tell me what." The librarian exchanged glances with the pale woman and sighed. "That's why she wanted to come. I think she wants to vent."

Applejack swallowed loudly and tugged at her ponytail. "Oh, crap. Fu, please don't level my livelihood."

"I won't." She cracked her knuckles as if preparing for a fight. "Did you see how they all looked at me this time, Twilight?"

Shrugging, she jumped when Applejack broke away to stop a slowly escalating argument between Rarity and her girlfriend. "I wasn't really paying attention. Not the biggest fan of heights. Especially not going as fast as we were."

"It was different." Fuyu was still cracking her knuckles; the noises eventually got so sharp they made Twilight cringe. "Pinkie was right. They need to see as much of me as I can show them. That way they'll have no reason to be afraid."

Twilight looked down at the grass with uncertainty. "Maybe so." The group came to a staggered halt as Applejack cleared her throat.

"All right. Gonna do this hill we're on, and that one across the stream," she said, pointing first around and then across the water. "Gotta get at least these done by evenin' so we can get 'em in the crates and outta here by tomorrow mornin'."

"That's at least two hundred trees!" Rarity exclaimed with horror. "We will be here until  _midnight_!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes at the drama. "Oh, calm down. We've got three magic users, Shy and I can just fly around and knock them off, Applejack can kick them down and Pinkie can...whatever it is she does."

"Yeah! I can..." The baker's face went blank. "Do that thing. You know, that thing I do."

A clamor of voices, save Fuyu, Fluttershy and Twilight, erupted as the other four began to plan out loud how best to tackle the enormous task ahead. Pinkie wasn't so much offering ideas as she was agreeing with  _every_  single thing said, making the planning session impossible to follow. Twilight groaned with frustration and nudged the pale woman.

"We better save them from themselves," she said, smiling.

The shy woman, who had moved over to stand with the quieter pair when the commotion broke out, let loose a tiny giggle. "Yes, otherwise they might be here for a week."

After glancing between the two, Fuyu nodded and stepped away. "Okay." Lifting off into the air, she darted to a hover about fifty feet up, peering at the multitude of apples in the branches. Below her, everyone fell silent.

"Have I mentioned how odd it is to see someone fly without wings?" Rarity breathed while staring up.

"No kidding," Rainbow agreed lowly. Unconsciously, she stood next to Applejack and watched Fuyu gain height. In a few seconds, the pale woman was a sharp silhouette against the gray sky. "What is she even doing?"

What she was doing was murmuring lowly to herself while glaring at her palms. "If I'm really wielding the magic of four thousand people, this should be easy." She pointed her right hand at the hill below and her left at the hill across the stream, and for the first time since facing Trixie she let herself off the figurative leash. Two strands of black fired out of her palms and split into an uncountable number of thin tendrils, which, guided by her magic, shot through the air and entered the leafy branches. The goo was able to travel a much farther distance than she was used to, and connected to her senses via the telekinesis, it was like having dozens upon dozens of cilia at her command. These poked about and gently detached the fruit. Apples fell like rain around the six women, who huddled together – only partly to avoid fruit. The display was at once mesmerizing and terrifying; black constructs writhed all through the air, some approaching very close. At its crescendo, Fuyu appeared to be the stunted trunk of a squirming black tree with innumerable branches. Abruptly she recalled all of the tendrils, whose travel back into her palms came with a metallic noise that made everyone but her wince. Finished, she alighted on the grass and folded her arms.

"That felt nice," she said. Her eyebrows raised at the looks on their faces. "What?"

Applejack was, after a few seconds, the first able to voice her emotion. " _Damn_!" After detaching herself from Rainbow and walking away, she stared at the layer of apples covering the grass around each trunk and couldn't help but repeat herself. " _Damn_!"

Fuyu smirked. "I guess it worked."

"No, really?" Twilight, slack-jawed, was also looking around at the results of Fuyu's magic. "How in the world did you do this?"

She shrugged in response. "I just did." A frown came when she saw the looks on Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy's faces; shock smashed together with amazement and awe whose foundation was some vague form of fear. Even Pinkie was struck silent with the expression. "Should I have not done that?"

"No, darling, it's not that." Rarity's attempt to regain her composure failed as she also took in the sight. "It's just, how did you even manage to do such a thing?"

"Like you do. But bigger." She lifted a hand and looked at the black jewel in her palm. "Hmm."

"How in the hell are we gonna load all these before night?" Rainbow suddenly exclaimed. They all looked around again at the clumps of fruit huddling near tree trunks. "There's gotta be a billion apples on the ground."

"Maybe we should get a shovel!" Pinkie bounced about as the mood lightened up. "Or a front-end loader. Fufu really brought down the house on this one."

Twilight's hands lit up as she levitated some of the apples over. "It should be easy for Rarity and I to pick them up. Where do you want them?"

"Load the truck. I'm takin' 'em ta the barn. One of you magicky girls wanna help me crate 'em?" she asked, looking between Twilight and Rarity. She blinked when Fuyu waved for attention.

"Take them both. I can load these."

"Are you sure?" Rarity smiled at the nod she got. "Of course. Go on, I want to see this."

When Fuyu lifted her hand this time, a swarm of fruit began to roll, then take off and float toward the group. In a few seconds all the apples in their sight, save those across the stream, were daintily entering the truck bed. Twilight and Rarity were awestruck again, but their friends couldn't quite figure out why.

The librarian explained – it was sheer amazement that forced her words out. "I could never track and manipulate this many objects at once," she breathed. "Look at many she's got!"

Rarity folded her arms and watched as hundreds of apples wafted by. "I am incredibly jealous right now."

Applejack shook herself back to work and moved to the truck. Her hand snapped up and waved to signal Fuyu to stop loading. "All right, that's enough. Twi, Rare, you ready to go?"

"Sure." Twilight moved past the pale woman, as did the dressmaker, to get in. "Fuyu, that was amazing. You really are a Princess!"

None of the assembled understood why she slapped her hand over her mouth after saying that, nor the anxiousness in her eyes. Fuyu folded her arms and stared. "I'm a what?"

"Nothing! Nothing." She was gone in a flash and in the truck before anyone could counter her weak assertion. The other women were forced to gaze curiously at Fuyu for clarification.

"Fufu, are you a Princess?" Pinkie asked, face glowing with an excitement that was ready to explode.

"Not that I know of..." Her eyes fell on Rainbow, who made a strange noise. "What?"

"That would explain all kinds of crap, though." The athlete grinned as a murmur of agreement came and went. "Besides your, uh, feeding habits."

The expression on Fuyu's face at the reminder of her history was enough to make Applejack step in. "Okay, okay. Come on, let's go so we can get done." She nodded at Rarity and they were both off. "Back in a second."

Fuyu hardly noticed their departure. Lost in a fog of thought, she turned her back on her friends and considered the possibility. Rainbow had a point; being a Princess would explain her extreme display of magical power, but she couldn't resolve that with what she had been before. Glaring through the trees silently, her concentration was only broken when someone tapped on her the shoulder.

"Are you all right?" It was Fluttershy, who squeaked when Fuyu glanced back. "S-sorry, you hadn't said anything for a couple of minutes."

"I was thinking." She was surprised to see everyone looking at her with equal concern as she turned fully around. "I'm fine."

"No you're not." Pinkie's attempt to be huffy was, like all her speech, cheerful. "What's eating you? Er, bad choice of words. Oopsie."

Pinkie's nervous giggle was ignored. "I am. I'm only considering what Twilight said. I certainly don't  _remember_  being a Princess."

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "Hell, what do you remember? You haven't spent much time looking into your past, have you?"

"Now that you mention it, no. There are things I do know however, most of which I can't tell you." Fuyu looked up as something wet hit her; it was beginning to drizzle. The edge of the silence made her drop her gaze again. "I don't like it any more than you do," she added, replying to Rainbow's annoyed glower.

"Great, more confidential crap." She shrugged with a smile. "Oh well. I'm sure it's no big deal."

"Mm." The subject needed to be changed, and right now. Fuyu picked up an apple and examined it. "Who's buying all these apples? The market in town can't need so many."

"They're buying some, but most are getting put on a train to Canterlot," Fluttershy explained, nudging one gently away from her foot. "We help Applejack bring in the last harvest each year because, well, it's usually a lot of work."

"I see." Fuyu looked east, but couldn't find the city due to the clouds. A few loud crunches from Pinkie's direction made her turn.

"They really love these things up there!" she said, around a mouthful of fruit. Rainbow's unhappy visage went completely unnoticed. "You can get an apple cake from some fancy bakery place up there! An apple cake! How do they even do that?"

The athlete jabbed at her unhappily. "Stop eating the merchandise!"

Before they could start bickering too much, Applejack returned with the truck. Twilight was with her, but Rarity was not. They both got out. The librarian kept a fair distance and refused to make eye contact with Fuyu.

"Gimme another load, Fu," the blonde directed with a sweep of her arm.

"Very well." Apples began to fly again as she wielded her power. This time she pulled several from across the creek, which danced slowly through the tree trunks. Once the bed was full again, the blonde got back in the truck, but Twilight couldn't follow her without being intercepted. "We need to talk later," Fuyu said, lowly.

She cut her eyes up at the pale woman and frowned. "I know."

* * *

Even with Fuyu's help, the last harvest still took about three hours to finish. Most of this time was spent by Rarity and Twilight crating the apples. The pale woman had offered to see if she could lift and fly the truck back and forth to speed things up, but Applejack politely declined. The group broke up one woman at a time, until finally the blonde excused herself to go see to her ill sister.

Alone with Fuyu, Twilight felt incredibly awkward about her vocal slip, but felt the best way to deal with it was head-on. "So, do you want to talk now, or later?" she asked, preparing herself for liftoff.

"At home." Fuyu's hands lit up with black magic as she detached from the grass. "I won't go so high or fast this time."

Twilight yelped with surprise as she too began to hover. "Right. Thanks."

Instead of shooting straight up and off as they had on the trip here, Fuyu lead them on a high-speed float through the trees, searching for the dirt road that lead to the highway. Once they were following the asphalt back to town, she looked back at the librarian. "How's this?"

Twilight laughed with nervousness. Her knees were bent to prevent her shoes from catching the ground, even though Fuyu had her suspended firmly. "You didn't have to go this low!"

She smirked. "Sorry. I have an ulterior motive for this."

"What?" Twilight directed her efforts to figuring out what that was, but didn't have a chance before they entered the town. The persistent drizzle hadn't stopped many from completing their errands; the sidewalks were laden with people, especially in downtown. They all turned to stare as Fuyu and Twilight came hovering along.

"Watch their faces," the pale woman whispered.

She did, intently, and was surprised with what she saw. There were still pockets of disdain, but that feeling had been mostly replaced by something softer, something almost reverent in nature. As they went the people on the sidewalks parted, some of which waved, and most of which were smiling. Almost everyone said hello.

"Wow." Twilight grunted with the landing as Fuyu dismissed her power. "Uh...guys? What's going on here?"

"You should have just  _told_  us she was a lost Princess," someone in the crowd said.

"Where did you hear that?" Twilight's brow furrowed; she already knew the answer.

Bon Bon pushed through the throng with Lyra on her arm. "From the Mayor's office!"

"Uh..." Backing away, her eyes landed on Fuyu's. The questioning look made her even more nervous. "Now, listen. It's not a confirmed fact, just a theory."

"Oh, you. We'll keep it on the down low," Lyra winked. "Seriously, though! You should have just told us!" She pointed a finger at Fuyu.

The pale woman blinked and went about deflecting. "I was...trying to be discreet."

Twilight hid her eyes as a cheerful clamor erupted. "Oh boy. Fuyu, let's just go home."

"Yes, that's a good idea." The crowd scattered as they took to the air.

The moment they had gotten insde the library, Twilight lost control of her mouth. "I can't believe she said anything! After I specifically told her not..." she trailed off, swallowing when she saw Fuyu.

Her stance was more imposing then usual, even as she leaned on a support pillar. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Fuyu, I swear it's just a theory." She sat down in a chair nearby and slumped over. "Your crystals have the metal trim of royalty. No one else bears it. The amulet gave them to you and I don't know why."

Almost automatically, Fuyu began to pace. Her mind drifted back to what Trixie had said yesterday about her possible relation to Celestia and Luna, despite the latter's denial. "Everyone certainly seems to think I'm a Princess."

"Your power...only three women I know have ever been able to do things on that scale." Twilight raised up and groaned. "This is the Mayor's fault. I asked her to keep quiet."

Words failed them until Fuyu ceased her meandering and placed her hands on her hips. "Hmm. I had an interesting exchange about my past with Rainbow earlier. How little I've looked into it since I came here."

"Huh?" Twilight couldn't look away when their eyes met. "And?"

"I think it's time I  _start_  looking."

The librarian nodded gravely. "We need to go to Canterlot...but how can we avoid attracting attention?"

A frigid smile twisted Fuyu's lips. "There is no need to rush in. I am endlessly patient. Let's allow a reason to come to us."

* * *

Like most of Ponyville, Trixie had heard the rumors about Fuyu's supposed royal blood. She had also been part of the group that had met her and Twilight in town that afternoon, but the magician had taken great pains to avoid drawing attention.

Now back in her apartment, she immediately fired off a message to Luna; after all, she had been drafted to be her eyes and ears.

_There's a rumor in town that Fuyu is a Princess. I just thought you should know._

Not intending to have a conversation, she set her phone aside and began to ruminate. "I wonder if that's what was in the documents." It didn't fit with Fuyu's reaction, though, so she tossed the notion aside. "Why would that make her angry? I'd be thrilled to find out I were a royal."

Sighing, she dismissed the whole train of thought and turned on her TV. "I don't even know why I care. I'm just happy to be-" Her phone emitted a chime. "-alive. Ahem." She picked it up and looked at the screen.

_Where did this rumor originate?_

Trixie tilted her head and started to type.  _I heard it was from the Mayor's office._

The phone wasn't even fully out of her hand when a reply came.  _That woman needs to be put in her place._

"Whoa. I've hit a nerve." Against her better judgment, she got curious again and sent a message back.  _Why?_

_Stop asking questions, Trixie._

A cold pit formed in her stomach. After tossing the phone away, she hugged herself and glanced about. "One of these days, Princess, I'll actually take that advice."


	8. Wings

"I have to go to work soon."

Twilight paused banging her head on the kitchen table long enough to hear, process, then acknowledge Fuyu's words with a groan before continuing.

She folded her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "And you should probably stop that."

"I caaaaaaaan't. I have to figure this out!" Something in her tone made her feel the need to apologize. "Sorry. Not trying to pressure you into talking, just-"

"Yes, I know." Fuyu put her smartphone in her pants pocket and walked to the stairs to get her sneakers, which she had the foresight of leaving there last night. "Perhaps a nap is in order."

Shaking her head, she lightly pounded the table top. "I won't be able to sleep with this driving me nuts. I say we go to Canterlot right now and start snooping."

Fuyu blinked at the demanding nature of her voice and placed a hand on her hip. "But I have to go to work soon."

The bleary-eyed, slumping librarian wouldn't yield. "You may very well be a Princess and you are  _certainly_  at least as powerful as one. Take a day off!"

Her insistence met a half-lidded gaze of denial. "I have to ask for time off in advan—why are you looking at me like that?"

"You've really dove into this whole having a routine thing, haven't you?" Twilight issued a sigh and laid her head on her arms. "I mean, I've been up all night contemplating and it doesn't bother you any more than it does Spike."

"To be fair, you spend a lot of your nights reading, or thinking, or some combination of those." Fuyu smirked at the pout she got. "So, I would say this is normal."

"No it's not!" After dragging herself to her feet, Twilight skulked around with her hands on her head. "What is she hiding from me?! What could be so bad? She tells me everything!"

A distinctly uncomfortable weight settled on Fuyu's shoulders. "Well..."

"I know, I know, I'm not trying to make you talk...but  _damn_ , this is driving me up the wall!"

"Hmm." They paused as Spike shuffled in, scratching at his messy hair. "Hello."

"Hey. Are you two  _still_  awake? Geez." He smiled and moved to rummage in the fridge. "Twilight, you look awful."

"Good morning to you too," she said, glaring at his shoulder blades. Squinting at the sunlight, she hid her eyes and groaned out loud again. "Go ahead, Fu. I don't want you to be late."

"Okay." She used her magic to tie her shoes. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"Don't worry about it." Twilight waved with a tiny smile as the pale woman floated out of sight. Once Fuyu had gone, however, she got droopy again and sat at the table. "Spike, I need to bounce some things off of you."

"Sure." He grabbed a bottle of cherry soda and sat across from her. "What's up?"

She looked over at him with drama dripping from her eyes. "I think Princess Celestia knows Fuyu."

Spike tilted his head. "Well, yeah. They met at the party."

Twilight slammed her fists on the table, then winced with the action. "That isn't what I mean! She knows her from before somehow, but I can't figure out what their relationship is. And you've seen her crystals. They've got the royal trim! What in the  _hell_  is going on?!"

"Ask the Princess?" he offered, trying to talk her down.

"I've already texted Luna and she told me nothing. If Luna won't talk, then I  _know_  I'll get nowhere with Celestia." At this point she resigned herself to setting her head on the table and groaning for a few seconds. "We're planning to go to Canterlot, but neither of us wants to attract attention while we search."

"When are you going?"

Twilight shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know yet. She wants to wait for a good reason. I want to go right now, but I'm not going to force her into the trip.."

"Probably for the best. I mean, this is her life we're prying into. She should be calling the shots." Spike took a drink, but stopped mid-swig when he got no answer. "Twilight?" He bent down and peered across the table to find she'd fallen asleep. "Pfft, of course. I'd better go get a blanket."

* * *

Fuyu drifted down the sidewalk at an idle pace, so lost in her thoughts she allowed the toes of her sneakers to bounce off the concrete every once in a while. It was a chilly morning despite the risen sun's best efforts, and most everyone she saw was bundled up in some form of jacket or coat.

And they were almost all friendly.

The shift in the town's mood toward her was almost unsettling. Trying to place just why was difficult, but the one thing she understood was the feeling of being something she wasn't.

Or was she?

"Princess! Put a coat on, it's freezing out here!"

Fuyu had no idea who said that; looking around didn't help either. She kept on floating with a shrug.

"Hey look, it's the Princess!"

"Huh?" This voice she was able to place. Across the street was Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo was flying – or desperately trying to fly – along with her.

"Can it kid, we're trying to keep that a secret." Rainbow's tone was almost mocking. She waved at Fuyu and grinned. "Headed to work?"

The pale woman nodded. "Yes."

"Tell Pinkie I said hello. Come on, Scoots, race you to school!"

They were both off like shots. Rainbow was airborne while the young girl had no choice but to run; even on foot, though, Scootaloo was blisteringly fast. Fuyu turned the corner after they were out of sight, then hovered on and turned a few more. All the way people greeted her, waving and smiling. It was as if the air had sucked up all their chill.

As Fuyu slipped into Sugarcube Corner, she had no idea how to feel about it. Nor did she get much chance to think.

"Fufu!" In an instant Pinkie flung herself from behind the counter – seemingly the whole distance to the door, almost – and latched onto Fuyu in a hug. "I've got good news and bad news!"

She hugged the giggling baker and walked on, simply carrying her. "Oh? What's the bad news?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes and whined. "Geez, why does everyone ask for the bad news first? You people are totally depressing."

"You...people?" Fuyu reached the counter and set the baker down. "Well, what happened?"

"Story time!" Pinkie began to bounce in place. "Remember when Mister Cake was home taking care of Pumpkin? Well now  _both_  of the grown-up Cakes are sick! I'm the only one here. Since there's nobody in the kitchen, I can run the shop by myself! You get a day off! _That's_  the good news!" Punctuating her words with a sweep of her arms, Pinkie stopped bouncing. She stared when the pale woman seemed underwhelmed. "Whoa, don't use up all your happy at once."

Fuyu folded her arms and glanced out one of the large windows. "I was sort of looking forward to the time away from the library. Twilight has been driving herself insane trying to figure out why I have the markings of a Princess. I was hoping my absence would allow her to fall asleep."

Pinkie nodded furiously. "Ooooo. She does that. One time she came in here and asked for like, the biggest cup of coffee we sell and drank all of it on the spot. Then she started slurring and twitching and ran away and – honestly? – I was kinda really terrified she would die of a heart attack. I think she had been studying astro-trigo-algebranomics for three days straight or something."

"Mm. My...situation is bothering her a great deal. The fact that Celestia is hiding things from her is causing her a lot of stress. My having to hide it as well isn't pleasant either." Fuyu turned away, her expression dropping. Not a moment later, Pinkie latched onto her in a tight embrace. "What's this for?"

"Sssssshh. Shh. Serious hug time, Fufu."

She tried to turn around and finally managed it, only to find herself looking right at the baker's grave blue eyes. "Serious hug?"

Her grip increased in intensity. "It's gonna be okay, okay? I know you're trying be sooooo bad-ass and stoic and all that but I can tell it's getting you down. So just remember it's gonna be okay!"

Fuyu sank more into the hug and let out a sigh that made Pinkie frown. "No it won't."

If it had been anyone else, the dramatic gasp of terrified indignation would have burst their lungs. " _Do not say that_. It totally will. It will! Be positive!"

She couldn't help it any longer and let the emotion flow, at least what of it she was willing to expose. "Pinkie, if you knew what I know, you would agree with me."

"If it's so bad then stop hiding it! We're your friends dang it,  _talk to us_." Pinkie whined again when Fuyu pulled out of the embrace. "Wh-what happened? Did the Princess tell you something?"

"I really can't say." Feeling awkward, she looked toward the door and decided to make her move before the baker got too riled up. "If I'm not needed here, I'm going. I...I think I want some time to myself."

"Ohmygosh Fufu pleeeeeeease-" Another attempted hug was gently deflected. "O-okay. Just come back if you need a buddy. It doesn't have to be me, even! Just...anyone."

"I'll be fine. I think." Fuyu offered her a weak wave and slid out the door.

The baker watched her go until she could see her no more, frowning bitterly. Her poofy pink hair seemed to lose a bit of volume once Fuyu disappeared. "Oh man, this isn't good."

* * *

Five minutes of rather high-speed hovering put a good swath of space between Fuyu and the town. She had taken great pains to avoid passing by the library just in case Twilight was still awake, taking a winding route through town, then heading toward the orchard and doubling back. Looking over her shoulder, she decided this was enough distance and dropped to her feet. Just ahead of her was another section of the massive, dark forest that she'd seen behind Fluttershy's cottage. After ensuring she had no pursers, her eyes began to scan the environment.

The terrain here was bumpy, although not so much as the orchard, which she could see far off to her left as she began walking. The highway was also nearby, but it soon vanished behind a gentle hill.

"Perhaps there is something to being alone for a while, at least." This concept continued to give her a bit of trouble. Forced solitude was one thing, but optional solitude was...she didn't quite know how to explain it to herself.

_Time to think._

Fuyu glowered at a flock of birds that darted overhead. "Yes, time to think. Think about what? All the things I can't say?"

_About what I am and am not._

"I don't know. I'm a Fuyu." Abruptly, she sat on the grass and folded her arms, almost pouting. "First I was a monster, now I'm a false Princess."

 _I can be both_.

"Wh-where did that come from?" A book, most likely; she'd read dozens of them since settling at the library. They formed the foundation of her knowledge about so many things – a base upon which her interactions with her friends and everyone else was growing. "How can I be both?"

She had no answer for herself. Almost idly, a thought wandered by; perhaps the amulet had unlocked some new ghost of a memory for her to chew on. Twilight had been correct; the routine of life had swallowed her up to the point where she didn't even care about her past self. Newness surrounded her, a welcome change from her nomadic killing. That's what mattered.

And now it wasn't enough.

Ever the pragmatist, she decided to make a vocal list. "What do I know, and what don't I know?" She peered at her palms and sighed. "I don't know why I have these. I don't know who I was or what I was doing before I woke up. I don't know..." Her mind passed over one of the things she'd read in the packet. "Re-purposed. I don't even know what I was truly meant to do."

She was forced to pause as this latest idea lit a massive fire under her brain, then gave rise to another. "I don't even know the full extent of my power." Another bird flew over. On a whim, she snapped her hand at it and called on the reserve of energy she'd used to restore the town. The bird became an orange, which fell until she brought it to her with magic.

"Now you are this," she murmured, letting it float before her eyes. With a snap of her fingers it was the bird again. Seemingly stunned, it fell into her lap and hopped around, chirping and ruffling its feathers. Then it bounced right into her open hand and looked up at her. "And now you are that." It chirped again. "Did I hurt you?" Apparently not, as it flew away and continued on in the direction it had been traveling.

For a moment she watched it go. Only after she lost sight of it did the momentousness of the whole sequence hit her. "I can do that to living things?" Unsettled, she stood. "I'll put that in the 'things I know' column. What else do I know?" Her foot tapped on its own as she thought. "My name is Fuyu. I'm not like everyone else. But I have friends." Finally, a smile appeared. "I did very bad things." She frowned at that and looked at her sneakers. "Which I don't have to do any more."

She caught herself in the single-person conversation and realized another of Twilight's habits had clung to her. Smiling again, she sat back down. "What else can I do? I wonder..." Flicking her wrists, she snapped two ropes of black out of her palms and looked at them. They had always come from there, but now she wondered if they would come from anywhere else. Trying to figure that out was posing a problem, as an internal check of where the goo was yielded not the usual clump in her stomach, but a smooth feeling throughout her body. "Hmm." She chased it around with her consciousness, yanking it back in through her palms and trying to corner it in her legs. When that failed, she pursued until the path lead to her head. "Oh. Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

But at this point she'd finally latched onto it like she was used to. It felt like a physical thing inside her again, so she pointed it at the nearest hole – her mouth – and directed it to appear. A wiggling tentacle popped between her lips in response. "Mmph!" She slurped it back in and made a face at the ghastly flavor. The next few minutes were spent with experimentation; black strands peeked from her nostrils and ears in turn. Upon consideration, she realized her pores probably counted as openings too and summoned tiny tendrils from the skin on her arms. So many of them sprouted from her flesh it seemed like thick, black hair.

"I haven't been using this right," she muttered, reflecting on the clumsy, grabby nature of her interactions with the gunk. As a final test, she sent a squirt out of her left eye socket, which caused the eye to slip out and dangle from the optic nerve, while the black rope wiggled through the new hole. She winced with dull pain and gently enclosed the eye in her hand to kill its ability to see. Even in those few seconds of divergent sight, the effect made her dizzy. "That hurts," she grumbled, carefully re-inserting her eyeball. "I don't even know why I did that."

Regardless, it too had an effect on her. Images of every time one of her friends had gotten hurt cropped up. For them, pain was a big deal. For her, it was a nuisance. A trifle. Even grievous injuries, while inconvenient, were usually of little concern. More reinforcement for the truth; there was no one in the world like her. In a way, it drew back the curtain on a realization – she sunk into a routine so deeply because it seemed a good way to fit in. To become what she was not.

_And never will be. Admit it._

Grumbling, she stood up and made an effort to get back to the point of her enforced solitude. "I have to figure out what I'm not being told." To that end, she moved back toward Ponyville with the intention of finding Trixie. Before she got too far, however, a final idea tickled her brain. "I could fly...hmm. If I'm a Princess, shouldn't I have wings?"

She poked at the black goo coursing through her one more time, directing it to squeeze out of her shoulder blades. Using her magic to detect the shape it took, she formed the secretion into blades to pierce her gray shirt, then into feathers, whose image she recalled from books. Five minutes of sculpting the living material yielded a pair of ebony wings that were detectably heavy. Her shoulders tensed and flexed to acclimate themselves to the weight. Squinting, she spread her new appendages and looked from side to side to check her work. They were flawless, shining examples, although more solid-looking than the wispy magical things Rainbow and Fluttershy used to fly. "Good."

Before she could take off, her magical alarm interrupted. A spark was something was approaching from high speed above. It was Rainbow, streaking through the cloudy blue until, abruptly, she dove down and came to a hover before the pale woman. "There you are! I've been loo—holy  _fuck._ " She stared as Fuyu folded her wings. "What the hell did I miss?"

"I had a chat with myself." While flexing her wings, she blinked at the athlete's demeanor. "Is something wrong?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing. Pinkie was having a full-on freak out at the shop. Said you seemed kinda sad." Rainbow's jaw slackened as she watched Fuyu fiddle with her pinions. "Seriously! What the fuck did I miss?"

"Like I said, I had a chat with myself. Is she all right?"

She scratched at her colorful hair and shrugged. "I guess? Let's go back and check. Uh...do those things actually work?"

"I haven't tried them yet." Fuyu's eyebrows raised at her friend's continued staring. "I made them from the black goo, if you're wondering. If everyone believes I'm a Princess, then I shall play the part. For their sake."

"Right. Geez." They lifted off together and formed up, side by side. The pale woman had no issues keeping up, using her telekinesis to boost her lift. Her wings issued heavy beats. "Damn, they are  _loud."_

Fuyu shrugged to herself. "Mm. If I'm going to feign being royalty, it stands to reason that people should know I'm coming."

* * *

Luna rifled quietly through the papers in her hand, determining what would be suitable to pass to Trixie next. She wasn't in the castle; that would have been asking for trouble. Instead she was in a clinically decorated room full of stoic gray filing cabinets. This room was in the National Academy of Science in Canterlot, where most of the project had been carried out. Everything about it was stored in this classified area, far away from the students and tourists.

As she pored over the pages, humming lowly, the door to her left opened. Framed in it was a lanky man with mousy hair, glasses, and a white coat. She peered at him with mild disdain. "What is it?"

"Ma'am, I really must stress how bad of an idea I think this..."

Luna raised her hand to quiet him before looking back down at the files. "Again, Doctor Cannon? We've been over this six...no, seven times. My mind is made up."

He wouldn't yield – then again, she really didn't expect he would. "Your Highness, we have no idea how this information will affect the subject!"

That earned him a pointed glare. "Her  _name_  is Winter."

Rattled, he made a show of straightening his red tie and adjusting his glasses. "Right. I still think this is a bad idea."

"We'll see. You and I both know that there is no clean way out of what we've done." Idly, she flicked a stack of files across the room with her magic for later reading. "My sister wishes to suppress it. I wish to get it out in the open and deal with it."

"But we never tested her mental capacity! Her  _emotional_  capacity! What if she's unstable?"

"She is a killing machine. I believe the question is how unstable we ended up making her." Luna continued to read. The document she had displayed was the order given by her sister to re-purpose Project Winter, the one that laid out its new goals. "No," she whispered, "Winter is not ready for this." Doctor Cannon cleared his throat to get her attention, which she gave. "Even if she does prove unstable...her reaction may be no less than we deserve."

Her words were too much for the doctor; grumbling awkwardly he took his leave. Sighing with relief, Luna went back to reading. "Nobody understands. I owe her too much to make her live without knowing the whole story."

Another hour passed before she forced herself to conclude her search. Being away too long would invite just as much trouble, so she collected a small set of suitable documents, placed them into a manila envelope, and tucked that under her black hoodie. In order to avoid attracting attention, she meandered through a series of hallways and corridors for about ten minutes before finally slipping out a rear service entrance and onto the Academy grounds. Before moving on, she pulled up her hood and drew it tight to obscure her face. While the evening sky above was full of those that could fly, her angelic wings would be easy to pick out. She was always forced, therefore, to return to the castle on foot. This was no easy task; Canterlot sprawled and towered before her. The castle was hard to see from this side of the city, much less reach.

Luna wasn't looking forward to the jog. She steeled herself with a deep breath. "I certainly could use the exercise."

Off she went, moving past the fountains of the grounds and onto the sidewalk. Dozens of cars crawled past in rush hour traffic. In a few minutes she was swallowed by the dreary towers of downtown. Only by looking straight up could she see a significant chunk of the sky, but she didn't dare – her main priority was to remain anonymous. Ten minutes and several turned corners more brought her past the library and before a large, ornate gate that prevented any further progress. Beyond it was the castle road, a freshly paved, winding path that would see her home. On the left was a guard shack.

"State your business," the grizzled female guard demanded as she drew near. Luna opened her hood just enough to reveal her identity. "Ah. Good evening for a run, isn't it?"

The princess shrugged and smiled a little. "I'm looking forward to the snow, to be honest."

"You're weird. No offense." Laughing, the guard pressed a button and opened the gate for her to pass.

Once through, Luna began to run up the road as fast as her legs would allow. She needed to look tired and sweaty, and sprinting up this incline would be more than enough. Evenly-spaced trees lined the pavement after a while, until suddenly a fountain appeared and the road itself became a circle that surrounded the feature. Luna kept on going past that and down a stone pathway – one of many, with statues placed at seemingly random points. There were neatly trimmed hedges and benches but no other people around. No other people save the one Luna spied through her hood as she came to a breathless stop.

"You're going to hurt yourself!" Celestia called from the balcony ahead. "Be careful."

"I'm fine!" she called, or tried to. The words fell out as a raspy yelp. To aid her quest to ram as much air into her lungs as possible, she bent over and placed her hands on her knees. "Oh my."

In a moment or two her sister was there, arms folded and smiling kindly. "I hope you didn't strain anything."

"My legs are fine, old woman." They both cackled. "Really, I am all right."

"Sit with me a moment." She lead Luna to a bench and settled on it. "I'd still like an explanation for the sudden exercise regimen."

Still panting, Luna shrugged at her and looked out across the statuary. "I guess I finally got tired of being cooped up in the castle all day."

Celestia's eyes shimmered with worry as she prodded Luna into looking at her. "...are you well?"

"Sister, I'm fine, I promise. If I were ill I wouldn't be running all over Canterlot. I'll say this, though..." Pausing, she used her magic to roll up a leg of her cargo pants. "I'll have calves to  _die_  for by new year's day."

Celestia couldn't help but smile at the quip. "Oh, you. I can't help but worry about your well being, you know that."

Luna removed her hood. As it dropped, her eyes suddenly became hard. "Then why won't you give me the thing I want most?"

Groaning, Celestia tilted her head back to look at what few stars were beginning to appear in the sunset-reddened sky. "Are we going to argue about this again?"

The younger Princess folded her arms – carefully, to ensure no rustling came from the papers under her hoodie – and nodded once. "Until I change your mind, yes."

"You aren't going to. I know you're terribly fond of Winter, but I have this," she paused, sweeping her arm out to indicate the city beyond and slightly below them, "to worry about. Not just this, either. The nation. Our people."

Luna wanted to shrug, but she understood the gravity of her sister's words too well. "And one day, so will I."

"You have no idea how happy that fact makes me."

"If I ever get over being frail." Luna jumped as she was nudged in the side.

Her sister was grinning wide. "Says the girl who's running every day. Maybe I should join you. I could surely use the workout."

"But I'd feel so bad for leaving you in my dust." They shared one more laugh and stood up, starting toward the castle. "What's for dinner-slash-breakfast?"

"I'll let you pick this time." Celestia nodded to the two guards in blue suits that opened the doors for them as they approached. "You're going to take a shower?"

"Yes. I won't be long." Luna wasn't even looking at her, but knew she'd stopped in the hallway and turned to figure out why. "What?"

She smiled warmly, clasping her hands in front of her. "I've found a reason for Winter to come visit, but you'll have to wait a while. I hope you don't mind."

Had her legs not been aching so, Luna would have jumped for joy. As it was, she maintained a sarcastic version of the regal composure she never used and shot a smile back. "Of course, sister. You know I am endlessly patient."


	9. The Invitation

On the table across the room was a tremendous pile of clothes that Rarity simply couldn't have made in three days, and yet there they were, neatly stacked and arranged by color and style. Fuyu, seated in one of the boxy chairs, watched as the dressmaker added a few last touches to another garment with thread and needle.

"How did you do all of that in seventy-two hours?" she asked, trying to count how many articles of clothing there were.

"Do not underestimate my ability to sew, darling." She dropped the needle and held up the thing in her hand – a sliver tank top with spaghetti straps – and examined it. "Perfect. Understated, but shiny. I'll have to remember this color combination for later."

"If you keep this up, I'm going to have to find another tree just to store my wardrobe." She smiled when Rarity snorted and giggled at her joke, filing away the successful delivery to use later. "Really. You didn't have to do this."

"Shush. I will not stand idly by while your wings ruin all of your tops. Would you mind pulling them again so I can double-check my work?"

"Very well." Fuyu stood and adjusted her blue tube top before concentrating on the process to conjure her wings. The black goo squirmed out of her shoulder blades in ropes before yanking and tugging itself into the majestic ebony construction Rainbow Dash had seen. "Do you want me to turn around?"

"Yes, please." Rarity set her glasses aside and walked over. "Damn you. I've been going to the gym three days a week for three years and I will probably  _never_ have arms and shoulders of this caliber!"

Fuyu's tone betrayed no ill will, but the straight delivery stung the dressmaker right in the heart. "I'll trade your past for my physique, if you'd like."

"...my apologies," she sighed, frowning at the floor. "I meant it as a compliment, not to dredge anything up."

"I'm not angry, I'm just..." Fuyu paused a moment to grope for a suitable word. She ended up borrowing one from Rainbow. "...saying."

"Right. Er, let's change the subject." Rarity peered at where the wings sprouted from Fuyu's porcelain flesh, emitting a series of low hums and mutters. "Goodness, they're so... _substantial_. Have you tried producing magical ones?"

"Yes, but I can't seem to feel the ability – if I even have it." Several moments passed without any word from the dressmaker. "What are you doing back there?"

"Contemplating, darling, just contemplating." Abruptly, she clapped her hands once and stepped around front. "Time to try these on! All of them!"

"But, that's going to take-" Fuyu looked over her shoulder at the stack, "-hours."

"Then we'd better get started." She folded her arms and scowled at the look Fuyu gave her. "This is much harder than you think, darling. I am building you a style from scratch, so I have to throw fashion at the wall and see what sticks."

The pale woman dismissed her wings and issued a tiny smirk. "That's a lot of fashion."

"What can I say? I am a wellspring of excellent ideas. Now, grab something and put it on! I want to see it in action!"

"If you say so." Fuyu wandered to the table and plucked a sky blue something with virtually no back and moved toward one of the curtained booths. "I could have made my own clothes."

Rarity gave her an exaggerated wink. "Princesses do not make clothes."

"But I'm—oh. I get it." Blank-faced, she disappeared behind the curtain. Before she could start changing, however, her phone rung. "Huh?" After fishing it from her pocket, she looked at the screen and saw a picture of Trixie.

"Can you talk right now?" the magician asked just as soon as Fuyu hit the button to answer.

She kept her voice low. "Yes, why?"

"Expect a package tonight. I'm heading to the train station to pick it up about midnight or so."

Her heart rate elevated as she consumed the words. "Okay. I want to be there. I'll stay out of sight if I must."

"Darling, are you all right in there?"

"Fine," she called. "I need to go," she added lowly to the phone.

"Got it. See you tonight."

Rarity cocked an eyebrow as Fuyu walked out at last, clad in the blue top. "That took a while."

"Sorry. Phone call." She was still trying to return the phone to the pocket of her cargo pants.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Did something happen or is Twilight being a nag again?"

"It was Trixie." The look Fuyu got from her friend caused a severe scowl. Without hesitation she folded her arms and returned it in kind. "She's my friend too."

That assertion was too much; she turned her back on the pale woman and hissed angrily. "I despise that woman with every fiber of my being!"

Her temper had very little effect. "I'm aware."

Sensing this, Rarity spun on her heel and spat some more. "She was going to kill my sister! Why do you even give her the time of day?"

Fuyu flicked her emotion aside with an icy glare and decided to quash her tantrum before it really got going. "I fail to see why you all feel the need to keep reminding me about what she did. I am  _well_  aware. I'll tell you what I told Rainbow Dash; she did those things with my power. By all means, hate her. But remember that she held a piece of me for a while and that gives us a relationship, like it or not. And if her presence makes you fearful, you can rest easy. If she tries to bring harm to this town again, I will turn her to ash."

Rarity had a rebuttal all ready to go, but the tone of Fuyu's promise froze it solid. Unable to screw up enough courage for any response after her failed try, she slumped over in submission and glanced away. "Fair points, I suppose. I'm not going to like her, though."

"I'm not asking you to, but our friends need not all be mutual."

Rarity smirked at her and straightened up. "Goodness me, you are the most intimidating woman I have  _ever_  met."

She just gave her a nonchalant shrug. "Most predators are intimidating."

The statement hung between them, sucking all the air and heat out of the room until Rarity thought her blood was going to turn to ice. She coughed and tried to think of something to break that glacier. "You've certainly learned the complexities of friendship, haven't you?"

"I'm doing my best." At last, Fuyu remembered her new clothing and looked down to appraise how it hung on her. "This is a bit...revealing."

The dressmaker, eager to find a less touchy subject, rubbed her chin and nodded. "The front is a bit low, perhaps...there's a bolero jacket that goes with it, though. Let me go find it. Then you can try on everything else!" Giggling with glee, she disappeared into the back.

Fuyu looked up at the wall clock over the counter. It was 4:30. "Perhaps I should call Twilight and tell her I'm spending the night here," she mumbled, looking back at the huge pile of clothes on the table.

* * *

While she meant it as a joke, it turned out not to be; ten o'clock had arrived just as she hit the library door. Twilight was sound asleep in a chair across the room with a book in her lap. "I told her not to wait for me," Fuyu sighed, hovering to the kitchen door to avoid triggering any squeaky wood. A quick rummage in the fridge yielded a strange bottle of soda that, upon testing, tasted like watermelon. "Where did this come from?" There was a note on the bottom of the bottle from Pinkie. "'This is a new formula'," it read. "'Let me know how it is.' I should have figured."

Her mind was occupying itself with little things to avoid getting anxious, and she was well aware of its attempts. Grasping the soda, she floated right back out of the library and into the sleeping town. It was cold enough for her to see her breath now, and cold enough to keep most everyone inside despite the hour. After tracking the nearby magic users for a while, it seemed safe enough for her to lift off and look around for the railroad tracks. Once she found them, she followed them east, trading the lights of Ponyville for the darkness of the surrounding plains. The highway ran along the tracks, but she only saw five cars before another, smaller cluster of lights appeared. Discreetly, she dropped down and landed behind a tree to avoid being seen from the highway, and walked the rest of the way.

The train station, like the town it served, was a small affair. It had one platform to the left of the tracks as Fuyu approached; the station itself was a pleasant brick building with a gabled roof and large square windows. As she jumped up the four feet to the platform, the whole thing seemed to be empty. While surveying the scene, she took a swig of the watermelon soda.

"You're early."

She turned to see Trixie hefting herself up onto the platform, grunting most of the way. "I really need to start visiting that gym near the soda shop," she moaned.

Fuyu shrugged, emptied her bottle, and flipped it across the platform into a trash can near the wall of the station. "Mm. Are we early?"

The magician nodded and settled on one of the iron and wooden benches against the wall of the station. "I'd say so. The drop won't be for about an hour and a half."

She didn't follow her over. "I thought Luna was giving you the papers."

"My going back and forth to Canterlot would attract a lot of attention. It only took you one time to get curious." Trixie watched as she at last came over and sat down. "You seem a bit anxious."

"I am."

For the longest time those two words hung between them, just as cold and heavy as the air. "I didn't think you could be anxious," Trixie said at last, leaning back into her corner of the bench.

"That's ridiculous. My emotions might not work quite the same as everyone else's yet, but they still work." They paused and glanced at the lights of a car that traveled along the highway behind them. "You've seen me be angry."

Trixie nodded, pulling her jacket tighter around her. "And it's something I'll never forget."

"I'm sorry, again." Sullen only for a second, she perked up and looked over. "I was genuinely angry at you for no reason."

"Yes. Yes, you were." She was getting an odd vibe from the pale woman and shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"I never would have done that to Twilight, or Applejack, or Rainbow Dash, and so on. I was going to kill you." Fuyu was thinking out loud.

Trixie was just getting more and more uncomfortable. "Where are you going with this?"

Pieces were still flying together in her head and kept leaking out through her lips in the process. "But you're still my friend...hmm."

"Um, can I get an explanation, please?" she asked, tapping her sneaker on the concrete.

Fuyu didn't give her one. "How many kinds of friends are there?"

Thrown off entirely, she blinked and tilted her head. "...what in the wor—I don't know. A lot. Why?"

"Twilight and company want so desperately to help me. It makes me feel like I can't really...talk to them. I don't understand why."

Trixie crossed her legs and rubbed her chin. "Maybe you don't want them to worry?"

She nodded lightly and cast her eyes at her black moccasins. "Perhaps. Would you worry?"

"Some, but certainly not as much." Silence fell. She finally bent forward and tried to peek at Fuyu's face. "You want to talk?"

"Yes, I do."

Suddenly, the magician assumed the air of a therapist and gazed at her. "Let's hear it, then."

"Hmm." Nothing else was said for about ten seconds as she tried collect her thoughts – or arrange them into what she wanted to escape first. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be."

After shrugged and glancing across the tracks into the night, Trixie asked, "What do you want to be?"

"I..." She had no idea. Slumping back against the bench and staring up, she sighed. "I only know what I didn't want to be, which was...what I was before I came here."

"So, success, right? What's the problem?"

Fuyu stood up and walked away a few steps. "I don't know. I don't have the whole story," she said, turning to face Trixie. "I haven't been  _given_  the whole story."

"Oh. That sucks."

A light from their left killed the conversation. Too bright and in the wrong place to be a car, they couldn't determine what it was until it got closer and lit up the rails. "Will it be on a train?" Fuyu asked.

"I have no idea." Trixie watched the light bounce about slightly. "All I know is to expect it here at midnight."

"I see." An elbow to the ribs made her squirm. "What?"

Trixie smirked at her. "Keep talking. We've got over an hour to go."

"Fine." Another brief arrangement of her thoughts occurred. "Am I allowed to tell you what I read in the first envelope?"

"Uh...good question. I wasn't supposed to look, but Luna didn't say anything about you telling me after the fact." She needed to hug something and brought up her knees. "I'm guessing no, though."

"I'm going to anyway."

The magician swallowed hard as her friend sat back down. "I  _really_ don't want to die in jail, Fuyu."

"You won't." She whipped out a rope of the black goo. "This is made of dead people. A lot of dead people. They crushed them until their innate magic became a black paste, then they injected me with it." Only when Trixie whimpered out loud did she pause and glance over.

"Can we please change the subject?" she begged, trembling.

"No, I need someone else to hear this. They built this as a weapon, then gave it to me to..." Her mind slapped her hard. "That's as far as I can go."

Trixie winced as Fuyu recalled the substance so fast it emitted a snap against her palm. "Okay, fine. I don't know whether to be more afraid of that gunk or more afraid of whatever they gave it to you to do."

The answer to that question was very easy. "Be more afraid of the gunk."

"If you say so. Who gave it to you, exactly?"

Debating whether or not to reveal this took several moments. Figuring there was no point in deflecting the question, she decided to go ahead. "The Princesses did."

" _What_?!" Trixie stood up and stumbled away from the bench. " _Why_?!"

"I had a job to do." Recalling the sentence Celestia had written in the documents made her scowl furiously. "At least one that I know of."

"What jo—you know what, no. Don't even tell me because I've got enough to freak out about." To prove her point, she started to wander around and mutter. "Your goo is made of dead people and you're a Princess apparently. Oh, and I'm a stalker too, with the blessings of Luna. I miss pulling rabbits out of hats."

Fuyu shook her head and approached. "Calm down."

Trixie would have none of it and kept on pacing. "Are you serious? I'm stuck between two very,  _very_  powerful people that can look at me and blow my head off. Now I have to keep Luna in the dark about you knowing about  _her_  and oh boy, if she finds out my life is fucking over." Her frantic voice echoed briefly through the cold night.

The pale woman caught up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know plenty about keeping secrets."

All she could do was wilt with the contact. "I wish  _I_  didn't."

"Mm." They had to pause again as the train went by, rumbling past at a crawl in the direction of Ponyville. It carried only freight, various low gondolas full of something that sparkled in the station's lights and looked like a mineral. Once the groaning diesel locomotives had passed around the curve, Fuyu spoke up again. "Twilight was right. Talking really does help."

Trixie didn't appreciate the chat nearly as much. "Why didn't you say this stuff to her, then?  _She's_  one-sixth of your best friends forever."

Fuyu folded her arms and watched the train. "That's exactly why."

It went right over her head at first, but something clicked and she gave the pale woman a surprised look. Fuyu wouldn't look back, wouldn't even glance over and acknowledge that expression. She knew then that she knew  _something_ , but was unwilling to say it. Instead, they both watched the train trundle along in front of them until it ended, bidding them farewell with a flashing red light on the final coupler that slid into the darkness.

"It's cold," the magician grumbled. She grumbled again after looking at her watch. "And we still have 40 minutes to wait."

Together they returned to the bench. Trixie moved a manila envelope to sit down, dropping it on the concrete. As soon as it hit, she froze with surprise. "Wait..."

"What?" Fuyu looked down at it, resting near the magician's feet. "Where did that come from?"

" _I have no idea_." She hugged herself and glanced around, eyes flooded with paranoia. "Did you see anyone?"

"No, did you?" After picking it up, she turned it over to find a flap for opening. "Huh. It feels light."

"I'm out. Cannot be seeing any of the contents. I don't think." Trixie stood and skittered away, stopping at the edge of the platform. "I should probably not jump off this thing in the dark." Fuyu lifted and set her down on the grass with magic, forcing a yelp. "Ah! Right. Fine. Thanks."

Once she was gone, the pale woman opened the envelope and began extracting the documents. There weren't many; 10 pages in all, only nine of which were stapled together. The tenth fell out and fluttered to the concrete.

"Huh?" Once it was in her hand, she found it to be a leaf of notebook paper with something scribbled on in purplish ink. "'I'm sorry it's not much. I'll tell you much more once we meet.'" It was signed  _Luna_  in swooping cursive. "When we meet?"

That page was set aside on the bench in favor of the others. The first was blank on both sides, but the second was plastered with handwritten notes. After a second of skimming, they caused her to gasp out loud. "This is all about me!"

They took the form of a very informal journal, with times prefacing every paragraph. There were no dates, however. Despite frowning at their absence, she devoured the text with great interest.

_09:44: I've been told the subject has chosen a name for herself after visiting the castle. Fuyu. Odd name, but she really seems to like it. The moment I received her at the academy she went right back to the_ _little_ _room_ _we've got set up and grabbed those dumbbells_ _._ _Man, she l_ _oves to exercise. I wonder if I should tell her to stop, but she never seems to get tired._

_10:39:_ _Dr. Cannon arrived with a sample of the...whatever. It's black as night and looks like coal._ _He wants me to give it to her._

_10:41: She – Fuyu, I mean – has no idea what it is, and frankly that's a relief. Wait, she touched it. It melted! How did she...oh, it scared her. I don't like her when she gets like this, she's too strong._

_10:48: Calmed her down. Whatever this gunk is, it's now a frozen puddle on the floor. I tried scraping it up but it wouldn't budge._ _Fuyu wants to help me._

_10:53: Holy crap. Whenever she touches this stuff it flows like water._

_10:59: She's playing with it like a toy. As long as she keeps contact with it, it'll do...well, whatever she wants. Turn into a rope, a ball, a cube, stuff like that. What is this goo?_

_11:21: Oh man, Cannon says the Princess is coming. Luna. To check up on her 'weaponry', whatever that means. I've been sitting with Fuyu for 15 minutes. Never seen her smile like this. I think she's talking to the black stuff._

_11:30: Luna and Fuyu are staring each other down, and if I weren't being paid to write this I probably would have passed out by now. I hate tension! Luna keeps telling her to do stuff with the goo, but she won't. Wait, there she goes._ _It's like...like watching solid magic._

The next two paragraphs were blacked out save for the times – 12:19 and 14:42 respectively. At the end of the second was a notation that read 'end of day 30'.

"Is this when I met you?" she asked herself. Or at least she thought she was asking herself, but unconsciously a wisp of black had wiggled from her palm, at which she looked and frowned. "You made me smile."

She turned the page. Something was different about this one – not the notes or their style, but the paper itself. It seemed newer than the previous page.

_00:57: The injection process is about to take place. Both the Princesses are here to see it. Fuyu doesn't appreciate being tied to the bed very much._

_01:11: She's starting to cry. Begging for help. I can't even look at her._

_01:14: I want to leave the room but Luna won't let me. I can't even hear myself think for Fuyu's screaming._

There was an added line between that entry and the next.  _I'm so sorry about this._ The handwriting was different from the rest, and on comparison seemed to be Luna's own.

"My dream." Unable to process any more, she slid the papers back into the envelope and stood. "I..." Her shoulders slumped. "I don't know."

Suddenly an idea occurred to her. She looked back toward Ponyville, blankly at first, then with determined eyes. After making sure she'd collected all the papers, she streaked into the sky. While the trip here had taken her a few minutes, the trip back was a two minute affair, if that. It concluded with a hover in front of Rainbow's apartment building, although one window lower than usual. She tapped on the pane and watched a confused Trixie first track the noise from her couch, then look over, and finally walk.

"Uh, hello?" she said after opening the window. "What are you doing here?"

Fuyu slipped through and landed on the carpet. "You talk to Luna, right?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew that..." When the pale woman snatched her phone off the table, Trixie started to panic. "No! You can't!"

Fuyu thrust the phone at her. "Dial the number."

That caused begging. "Please, no, she can't know that you know." The phone was thrust at her again and she took it, hands shaking. "Fuyu, please."

There was no anger to be found in her face, but as it had before her determination looked frighteningly similar. "Dial it, Trixie."

"F-f-fine." Due to her trembling fingers, several attempts were needed. "Here. It's ringing. I am so dead."

Before the magician went to cower in the corner and weep – quite literally – Fuyu took the phone and placed it to her ear. Several rings passed before a voice took over.

"This better be good, Trixie. I'm in the middle of lunch. Or dinner. Whatever you call a meal at midnight."

Fuyu squinted at the TV. "Princess Luna."

On the other end, the phone nearly slipped from her hand as the voice registered. She was shaking even worse than the magician was previously. So bad were the tremors that she had to hold the device with both hands just to keep it to her ear. "Winter? How did...how did you..."

"I know about Trixie being your spy, but that's beside the point."

"Your voice hasn't changed at all." Luna began to cry; out of instinct she pulled up her hood to hide the tears. "Did you get my packages?"

She folded one arm and glanced over at the whimpering woman in the corner. "Yes. What did you mean by your note?"

Luna could hardly maintain her balance as she walked to her bed. "You will see when the letter gets delivered, tomorrow I hope. It's...it's so nice to hear your voice."

"Hmm. Are these documents what your sister promised me?"

"Well, no. I'm picking up her slack." She sat on the mattress and tried to control her shaking. "I'm so sorry for everything, Winter."

Fuyu had no idea what to say to that and hesitated for a long time. "I'll decide whether to accept your apology after I get the full story."

"Perfectly fair. I have to go, but before I do...look at the last journal note on the last page."

With her magic, she did just that. What waited for her there almost caused her to drop the phone.

_23:59: We have lost containment of the subject – I heard she escaped, somehow. Fuyu, I mean. No idea where she is. Princess Celestia told Cannon not to look, so I guess she'll handle it. Cannon said this is the last entry I'll need to write, so...end day 247 and end log._

"I escaped? But how?" Behind her, Trixie perked up as she listened.

"A story for another time. I must go. I'll see you soon enough." Luna quickly ended the call and fell back onto her bed, still shivering. "I don't know whether to hang Trixie or hug her for this."

A deep breath steered her mind toward the latter. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she stood and started the process of composing herself.

* * *

"Mail call!"

Fuyu hardly glanced up as Twilight scaled the stairs, clutching the mail in her hand. She flipped one of the pieces to the pale woman, who caught it with her magic. "It's from Canterlot. Any idea what it is?"

There was no genuineness in her voice. "No." With a black blade, she slit it open and peeked inside. "Hmm."

Twilight rifled through the rest of the letters and bills for only a moment before Fuyu's tone stung her ears. "Are you okay? You've been kind of quiet since the wings thing happened..."

The morning sun caused the embossed sun on the stationery to gleam as Fuyu moved the letter about. She ignored the question, read the text, then summarized it out loud. "Princess Celestia wants me at the castle."

"What? Why?" Fuyu handed her the letter as she walked over. "Your presence is requested, blah blah, one week's time, blah blah blah...official investiture ceremony! Oh! This is perfect!"

Fuyu was not nearly as giddy. "I thought I already had one of these."

"You've got the medal, but usually there's a set number of dates each year when the members are officially invested. I didn't know if you were getting a chance at a ceremony or not." Grinning, Twilight handed the letter back and clasped her hands. "We get to go to Canterlot! I can show you around the city to jog your memory...while I try and ask Celestia what exactly is going on, in  _person_."

"Mm." Fuyu folded the paper and set it on her lap.

"Geez, contain yourself." Twilight assumed her finest grumpy pose and glowered. "I thought you'd be excited."

"I don't know whether to be excited or afraid."

Stunned by the admission, she sat down on the edge of the pale woman's bed and looked at her. "Wh...why would you be afraid?" When she got only silence, the answer became clear. "It's something the Princess told you, isn't it."

A shrug of her shoulders came and went. "More or less."

"Crap. Sorry." Her eyes drifted and came to rest on the morning sky out the window. "It's driving us both crazy, huh? I don't know, but you know. It's just as bad no matter which side of it we're on."

"I don't know as much as you think." Fuyu took the letter and re-read it. "It says I can bring three people to the ceremony, if I want."

Twilight's hand snapped up as if she were answering a question in school. "I'm going!"

Fuyu nodded with an eyebrow raised. "I assumed you were. Who else should I take?"

"I dunno. You've got a week to pick. Call around and see who's up for it." Just as she was reaching for her phone, however, Twilight interrupted. "Wait just a second. Before you do that, uh...can you say at all what's bothering you? Anything?"

Scanning her mind, there was one thing that was safe enough to let out. "Everyone suddenly loves me for something I might not be. I'm not sure what to think of that."

She nodded slowly and sighed. "Oh. Well. I have to admit, it was rather... _drastic_. The people here love the Princesses. I guess that's part of the reason why Celestia sent me here."

Fuyu perked with surprise. "Sent you here?"

"Oh, I never told you this, did I?" After shifting around a bit, Twilight shifted into her storytelling mode. "A couple of years ago I lived in Canterlot. Not in the Castle, of course, but I visited a lot."

"Why did she send you away?"

Her hand rose to hide a light laugh. "The city life was getting to me. It's so  _hectic_  in Canterlot. I suppose she saw how-"

"Stressed you were becoming?" Fuyu's eyes remained firmly on her legs as the librarian looked over.

"Yeah. Stressed." A frown bent her lips, but after a second she looked away and back at the window. "You know, she was right. It's much easier to relax out here, not to mention how much my friends have helped keep me sane." She snickered again. "Or made me lose my mind."

"Hmm." Fuyu blinked when Twilight's hand suddenly came to rest on her knee. Her eyes traveled up that arm until they reached her concerned expression.

"I should have asked this first – do you  _want_  to go? I think the excitement made me a bit pushy."

"I..." Her adamant wish to find out something had faded somewhat since she'd first expressed it to Celestia. It had flared up again last night while talking to Luna, although now it was colder again. She set her chin on an upraised fist and stared into space, fighting with herself. "Yes," she murmured at length, glancing over. "Knowing is better than not knowing, even if I can't divulge it."

Twilight beamed at her. "I'll see if I can't get her to fill me in. Well then, since you're on board...I guess we'd better get ready for our trip!"

Fuyu moved her gaze away and squinted at the bright morning light. "Yes. I guess we'd better."


	10. Going Home

For a moment, Fuyu found herself wondering just how many barns were erected on the Apple property. She stood in the doorway of one such structure, watching the blonde count the remaining crates of apples stored there.

"Hundred and two," Applejack finally blurted out. "Shoot, that's another trainload. Y'all did pretty well, Fu."

"I always did have a way with harvesting," she replied, a ghostly smile on her lips. "Are you finished?"

"Yep. What's up?" They walked out together into the gloomy morning light.

"Twilight's told you I've been summoned to Canterlot by Princess Celestia, hasn't she?"

Applejack's brow furrowed as she went about locking up the barn. "Actually, no."

"Good, I asked her not to. I get to bring three guests – two, since Twilight insists on going. I want you to come along."

Chuckling, she poked up the brim of her hat. "Aw, shoot. I don't get along well with them fancy folk in the capital. Why in the world do ya wanna bring me?" An extremely serious look from the pale woman made her heart skip a beat.

"I'm going to be finding out the part of my history I don't know, and Twilight might get wind of it. She needs someone there to steady her." Folding her arms, she turned and looked over the grayed countryside. "That's not the only reason why."

Worried, Applejack doffed her hat completely. "What else, then?"

Fuyu hung her head. "I may need someone to do the same for me."

"Y'all...y'all think it's really that bad?"

"I don't know, that's the problem." Turning again, she looked at the blonde and smiled. "There is another reason. You were..." The remaining words got stuck in her craw. She sat down on the grass, ignoring the dampness and peered at the ground. "You were the first person that was ever kind to me."

Stunned, Applejack sat on the grass with her. "Now wait a second. In all that time you were out there, nobody even said hello?"

Fuyu slumped over without a word.

She draped an arm around the pale woman's shoulder and frowned. "...damn, man, why didn't y'all ever say so?"

"I didn't think it mattered. I had the things I didn't have so I just assumed what happened before would...go away." The contact was making her squirm, but no effort was put into pulling away. "It all changed so fast, I just thought I could leave my history behind after I settled in town and talked to the Princess."

The blonde was taking on a very thoughtful pose, which required her to withdraw her arm. "Y'all do know each other, then?"

"Yes, from before I forgot everything. That's as far as I can go." She peeked over; Applejack looked rather melancholy. "What?"

"I can't believe y'all never talked ta anyone," she said, looking Fuyu dead in her one visible eye. "Never?"

She broke the eye contact quickly. "I never talked to someone that wasn't going to be food or was trying to do something to me, no."

"Geez. Uh..." Snatched by curiosity, Applejack asked a question she regretted the second it entered the clammy air. "How did y'all kill all them people and never get caught?" She winced at the anger she thought would be coming, but it never arrived.

"She told me to stay away from cities and towns. She told me to ambush people that were alone. She told me to hide. To be sneaky. Of course, it helped that I ate most of the evidence." Clinical and flat, her tone made Applejack's skin crawl. "I wanted to go into places with lots of people, but I couldn't. Wouldn't."

"Why?" It struck her as a stupid question, but she couldn't help asking it.

Fuyu's eyes squeezed shut as she grappled with her thoughts. "Because I hurt everyone, Applejack. It made me sad, even though I didn't understand why for a while. Half of me was a mindless robot, and the other was a terrified child."

Something prodded her brain and made her eyes light up. "I guess it's weird havin' two voices in your head, huh?"

Upon hearing that, Fuyu slumped over even further. "It's worse being alone up here."

Applejack couldn't help but clamp on in a bear hug. "You have  _gotta_  tell us stuff like this, Fu! It's what we're here for!"

"Mm." The embrace helped her in a way Trixie's neutral distance couldn't. "I don't know how I feel sometimes. I want to know about before, then I don't. I want to open up to Twilight, but she's already so frantic I'm afraid it'll hurt her. I want to open up to  _someone_  but you all seem so hellbent on being nice to me that I don't want to ruin it with what I know. I like it when people are nice to me. It's still new. It still tingles."

Although she'd loosened the hug, Applejack's arms were still draped around the pale woman. "Feel better?" She smiled gently at the nod. "That's why y'all gotta spill the beans. And by the way...don't ever be scared 'bout talkin' to any of us, okay?"

"A bit late for that. Now I feel like Twilight will be angry at me for telling you this instead of her," she muttered while looking up at the clouds.

"Pff, we don't share everything." Applejack chuckled loudly at Fuyu's surprised look. "Y'all got a lot ta learn. We love each other ta death, but we've got favorites even in our little circle. How d'ya think Rainbow and I started datin'?"

Fuyu broke away and levitated to her feet. "Are you telling me it's  _all right_  to hide things from people?!" she exclaimed. Her face bore more emotion than the blonde had seen in a while.

Applejack, blinking with shock, also stood. "Well yeah, some stuff. Friends do it just as much as strangers sometimes."

She loosed a groan and placed a hand on her forehead. "I don't understand as much of this as I thought I did."

"Ain't never gonna learn all of it. Nobody does." Chuckling, she picked up her hat, checked it for water, and put it on. "Best way to handle it is ta be as honest as ya can about as much as ya can."

Fuyu was smiling again, but her face betrayed a shadow of frustration. "Perhaps I should have stayed here with you. Now do I see why I want you to come?"

"I guess so. All right, I'll see if'n I can't find somewhere for Bloom ta stay." They began walking back toward the farmhouse. "Hey, 'bout what y'all said before. Can't run from your past, ya know. Gotta come ta terms with it. Embrace it if ya can. It's who you are."

All the humor dashed away from Fuyu's visage as she took in those words. A slightly frigid look was sent the blonde's way as they kept going. "Tell me, Applejack; how am I supposed to embrace being a nightmare?"

* * *

"Guess you had one of those talks with Applejack, huh?"

Fuyu's eyes slid over and tracked Twilight as she came up the stairs from the kitchen. "How can you tell?"

"You're still pretty awful at hiding emotion. You aren't as tense." The librarian sat on her bed and glanced about listlessly. "She's so good at that stuff. Almost as good as Pinkie."

"You're not curious to know what we talked about?" she asked, looking up more fully.

Twilight placed a hand on her chest and feigned surprise. "What? That's your business. I'm not going to pry."

After regarding her for a few moments, Fuyu went back to reading. "All right. I'll keep it to myself."

A happy chime from Twilight's pants drew both their attention. She retrieved her phone and peeked at the screen. "You know, Rarity wants to see you so she can fit that," she paused, looking down at the text again, "flowing ebony masterpiece of a gown, as she refers to it."

Fuyu glanced up at her for only a moment before dropping her eyes back to the book in her lap. " _Another_  formal dress? She's a portal that spews clothes. There's no other explanation."

The librarian burst out laughing. "She's unstoppable. Say the words 'special event' and off she goes!"

A minute of light-hearted silence passed before the air got serious again. "I asked Applejack to come and she agreed."

Twilight nodded once. "Good. I'll call the station and have them hold another train ticket."

Fuyu closed her book and set it on the bed. "Why? I can fly us there much faster."

"I'm not thrilled with the prospect of going 700 miles at that speed. And it won't just be us, remember, it'll be all of our luggage, too. If Rarity's coming along, that'll be, I don't know, three or four dozen suitcases." She snickered at herself for a second. "Applejack's afraid of heights, too. And by the way, it's going to be  _cold_  this weekend, we'd freeze at altitude. Oh, and the scenery on the way up there is great by train, I want you to see it at least once!" A pointed look made her pause and blink. "What?"

"You're lecturing me again," she said, grinning. "Just say you want me to ride the train."

Twilight's face dropped, as did her arms to her sides. "I...want you to ride the train?"

"Then I will ride the train. I'm still not sure who else will be coming, though."

"Eh, you still have four days to choose." While tapping her fingers on her knee, an idea sprang to mind. "I know Applejack was your first choice, but of the rest of us, who would be next?"

"That's the problem, I didn't have a second choice. Now I have no idea who to ask." The answer didn't come to her after a bout of chin rubbing, either. "I should call around."

"You should! I know Rarity would jump at the chance to go show off her stuff in the capital – again. As if she doesn't get enough business from Canterlot." Twilight rolled her eyes and fell back onto her bed. "Fluttershy would be  _terrified_  of going. Pinkie would probably  _terrorize_ the-" A snap from Fuyu's direction made her fall quiet.

"Let me find out these things for myself." Her phone was out. She dialed a number and placed it to her ear. "Hello? Fluttershy?"

"Oh, hello. Give me a moment, there's a...there's a cockatoo on my head."

Fuyu stared off in disbelief, trying to picture a bird nesting in the shy woman's pink locks. "...right."

"Ouch. Ouch! You are such a naughty bird. Sorry. How are you doing?"

"Fine. I have a question for you." She waved at Twilight, who was quietly excusing herself from the loft and heading back down to the kitchen. "Princess Celestia has invited me to Canterlot for a...thing...and I am allowed to bring three guests. Twilight and Applejack are coming. Would you like to come along?"

A long pause passed by, broken only by a few short, awkward noises. "Um, well..."

Fuyu couldn't understand why Fluttershy sounded so tense, only to remember she  _always_ seemed to sound that way. "You don't have to go?"

"Oh. I kn-knew that, really, I just have so much to do over the weekend. Um...sorry."

She wondered if rejection was supposed to feel so _gentle_ , but shrugged it off. "It's fine. I can ask someone else."

"Okay! I'm still sorry...er...have a good trip!"

Fuyu's eyebrow lifted. "I won't be leaving for four days."

"R-right. Um, well, j-just keep that in mind for when you leave. If I don't see you off, I mean, but of course I would see you off. You're my friend."

"Of course. I'll...let you get back to work." Fuyu hung up after a squeaky goodbye from the other end and stared at the phone. "This is like talking to a minefield made out of eggshells." After noting the time, she hopped off her bed and magicked on her shoes. As she reached the bottom and laid eyes on Twilight, she dialed another number. "Pinkie?" she asked, once it picked up.

"Fufu! Hi!"

The pale woman drifted over and sat at the small table. "Hello. Do you need me to come in?"

"Nope! Nobody's allowed in the shop today!"

She blinked in Twilight's direction, which attracted the woman's interest. "What? Why?"

"It's being disinfected! The Cakes are so worried they might have brought their germs in before they got too sick to come to work and didn't know it, so they hired some guy to clean everything like  _super_  hard. All I can smell is bleach and chemicals and stuff and it's making my nose really itchy."

The pale woman idly patted her blue bangs and blinked. "But we were in there yesterday and none of us got sick."

"Fufu, I don't think you  _can_ get sick. But true, I feel fine! Except for my eyes watering and my nose being on fire and my..."

"You are sick, aren't you?"

"N-no, I promise! It's just these stupid chemical-y smells!"

Fuyu's hand dropped from her hair to her hip. Twilight snickered at her stern look. "Go out and get some fresh air."

"I caaaaan't. I have to stay in the loft and make sure Bleach McCleaningguy gets done."

"Well, open a window," she offered, staring blankly.

"I don't have any! Except the one in the door, which for all its cuteness is not openable and that makes it kinda useless."

"What if you opened the door?" Fuyu's empty gaze locked onto the giggling librarian.

"Oo! Good idea! I'ma do that." A few noises indicated she had. "So, what's up?"

"Would you like to come to Canterlot with me? I have room for one more guest."

"Ooo, Fufu, I dunno. When the Cakes come back we're gonna have to go nuts to catch up on the back orders. I'll probably have to live in the kitchen until like, next Tuesday."

This form of rejection still didn't feel too bad. She nodded slowly. "I understand."

"Sorry! I'm gonna be buried under candy. And cupcakes. And cookies!" A brief pause prefaced a loud sneeze. "Ugh...ow...I wish this guy would hurry up..."

"Perhaps you should wait outside," Fuyu scolded gently. "I will talk to you later." After hanging up and putting her phone aside, she sighed. "Well, I have another day off."

Twilight made a face, marked the page in her magazine, and closed it. "The place didn't burn down, I hope?"

"No, it's being cleaned. Pinkie might suffocate because of the chemicals." Once that had been said, the two looked at each other for several seconds. "You were right about my talk with Applejack. It did help."

"Yeah, I know. She's good at steadying people's nerves." A sip of coffee caused her to make a disgusted expression. "Ugh, cold."

"I feel like I'm still two people," Fuyu blurted out. In the silence that followed, she stared down at the table top. "I'm not used to having only one consciousness."

"Er, well..." Twilight had no advice for her on that front, instead offering a short series of mumbles and shrugs as she collected her thoughts. "All I can say is give it time. You're such a unique case, I really won't know what to think until Celestia gives me some details."

"If she does. And even so, you will not want to hear them."

The sullen look in her eyes caused Twilight to scowl. "I don't care if I do or not, I have to know.  _We_  have to know."

Fuyu hearkened back to the words Celestia had said at the party about keeping Twilight in the dark and sighed. "She won't tell you anything."

The librarian was growing agitated, folding her arms roughly. "Then I'll sit in her throne until she does. I want to know what's going on!" Her emotion faded away as she watched her friend stare at the floor. "...something else is wrong, isn't there?" Fuyu lifted her hand slightly and pointed at Twilight's magazine, which suddenly became a rose. Everything about it was correct – even down to the smell. Fascinated, she picked it up and examined it. "Wow. You've gotten good at this."

"I always was good. You noted how quickly I sank into a routine; I know why, now." As soon as Twilight put the flower down, she snapped it back to its previous form. "I can shift matter. Living things. Pain is an inconvenience. Sleep is barely a necessity. I know I'm not like anyone else, but it's more than that. There isn't a rule on this planet that applies to me."

The more she contemplated that assertion, the more uncertain Twilight got. She couldn't place why it unsettled her, however. "Why does it bother you?"

"I tortured the thief that held Applejack and Rainbow Dash hostage that night." The gasp in response stung despite the fact that she expected it. "It was very pleasant, in a strange way."

"You were angry," Twilight rationalized, more for her own benefit than Fuyu's. "Anyone would have been angry." She was helpless in the face of the pale woman's penetrating gaze. "You're human. We get emotional. We do things we regret."

"I'm more than human, Twilight. I am something else entirely. If I get angry I can...I can rewrite pieces of reality." Fuyu's eyes widened as the pieces flew together in her mind's eye. Her emotional outbursts were limited in scope, but no longer; the story Celesta had given her about the librarian's panic attack – her own reason for existence – was a window into what could happen if she lost her cool now. "I was wrong," she breathed, shock still marring her face.

Twilight had no idea what was happening and didn't try to hide it. "Wr-wrong?"

" _She began transmuting matter. She turned her parents into potted plants, for instance. I had to intervene and stop her."_

"You and I aren't so different," Fuyu said at last, placing her elbows on the table and leaning forward. The combination of her tone and body language rattled the librarian, but left her unable to speak.

The shared glitter in their eyes made apparent their agreement on one thing, however; the pale woman had just given voice to a dangerous thought.

* * *

Three days and an afternoon crawled by, laden by Twilight's silent anxiety and Fuyu's inability to do anything substantial to quell it. The last two of those days at least brought the respite of work at Sugarcube Corner, although the Cakes had bought into the pale woman's royal identity and needed convincing to let her stay on. As she arrived back at the library at the end of her shift, she found Twilight seated in the public space, staring off into the aether.

"I'm back," she said lowly, trying not to startle her as she sat in the chair across the table. "Are you...all right?"

Twilight snapped back into consciousness and looked over. There were faint bags under her eyes. "I still don't understand what you meant, you know."

No reply to that could be forced from Fuyu's lips, and so they sat in a chilly silence for a while. This was broken by a noise from the pale woman's shirt pocket – her phone, which she answered. "Hello?"

"Are you at the library?" It was Rarity, and for some reason she sounded displeased.

"Yes, why?"

"We're on our way." After that, she hung up, leaving Fuyu to stare at her phone.

"We?" she asked herself.

Twilight was just as confused, but for different reasons. "Who was that?"

Fuyu put her phone away and shifted in the chair. "Rarity. She's coming over, and it sounds like she isn't alone."

"...crap. I should have known." She dragged herself out of the chair and shuffled to the kitchen. "This usually happens when I isolate myself...I guess I assumed you being out and about would have stopped her from worrying too much. I'm still shocked Pinkie didn't interrogate you."

"She's incredibly busy with baking." Fuyu tailed the librarian into the living quarters. "I also might have deflected every attempt she made at asking what was wrong."

"Ugh! I have about had it with this keeping secrets nonsense!" she growled, slapping her forehead. "My mind has been running laps for over 72 hours trying to figure out what you meant!" She latched on to Fuyu's shoulders with both hands. "Can't you give me  _something_?!"

Startled, the pale woman took a step back. "I don't kn-" She was interrupted as Twilight began to shake her lightly and emit a very unhappy noise. "I..."

Tears were clinging to her eyes. " _Pleeeeeeeeeeeease_?!"

"I...can't." Together they slumped in defeat. She guided Twilight to the table and sat her down. "You're right, though. One way or another, we're going to have a word with Princess Celestia."

The librarian was fuming hard. "Oh, you bet we are. I will  _nail_  her to something if I have to." A noise distracted them both, then another. Before long Rarity appeared with Rainbow Dash in tow. "Here it comes..."

"Twilight Sparkle, I swear upon my sewing needle, if you don't explain what's bothering you-"

Fuyu was, for a split second, more interested in how Rainbow Dash had ended up with the dressmaker. They shared a look. "Don't ask," the athlete said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rarity, I just..." Unable to complete her statement, Twilight hid her face.

"Welcome to your first intervention," Rainbow muttered, standing next to Fuyu.

Rarity spun on her heel and glared at them. "Oh, don't think I won't get to you. Just as soon as I help Twilight, you and I are going to discuss why you keep brushing off Pinkie Pie."

Rainbow folded her arms and dug in. "Barging in and invading their personal space seems like a great way to accomplish stuff."

"I am  _not_  barging in. Twilight needs a firm hand to yank her out of her unhappiness sometimes, we all know that. Since Pinkie is busy, I've taken it upon myself to help her!"

"Um, I'm right here," the librarian interjected, waving her hand. She glanced across the table at Fuyu with an apologetic look. "Good grief, now I know how you felt."

"Beg your pardon." Rarity made a show of clearing her throat before continuing. "Twilight, please. Tell us what happened."

"Nothing did." She bristled at the dressmaker's glare. "I'm serious! That's the problem! Nobody will tell me anything and it's starting to  _piss me off_!"

"Whoa," Rainbow blinked, recoiling at her harsh tone. "Fu, I thought you would have talked by now."

"I have no facts to give, only theories." Fuyu scowled at bit at Twilight's glower. "I'm not mocking you. I have no way to confirm my ideas."

All her emotion came out at once as she stood and pounded the table. "I don't care! What are you thinking?!"

The noise attracted Spike, who came out of his room with headphones around his neck. "What the—oh. Intervention time?" Rarity and Rainbow nodded. "Great. I've been trying to get both of them to say something all week. Good luck." He gave everyone a thumbs up and disappeared again.

Once the distraction was gone, Twilight pinned Fuyu down with a frigid glare. " _Talk_."

The pale woman reacted badly to her demand and rose. They ended up leaning over the table and staring at each other from close range. "Anything I say would be so much worse than your fears."

Twilight wouldn't yield an inch. "Let's find out." Rainbow and Rarity decided it would be safer to wait near the stairs to the bedroom, and shuffled over there while exchanging several nervous glances.

Fuyu's consciousness screeched at her to shut up, but she could bear no more of the tension and had to admit something. "Fine. Since you insist, I'll let you have this: I believe we have the same power, you've just forgotten about it."

"What are you talking about? The black gunk?" Twilight leaned back as the pale woman shook her head. "What, then?"

"Shifting forms of matter."

"That's ridiculous," Rarity called. "We've only seen such a thing twice, and both instances were related to you."

"That doesn't mean I'm the only one with the ability," Fuyu replied curtly, still gazing right into Twilight's suddenly uncertain eyes.

"But I would remember such a thing. I would be able to feel that power! I would..." The remaining words lodged in her throat. She broke away, muttering incoherently, and started to pace. "No, I would know. I would  _know_. She would  _tell me_."

"Oh, shit," Rainbow said. "I don't think this is what we had in mind when we were thinking of a heart-to-heart..."

Twilight ran laps around the kitchen at the speed of molasses, hugging herself tightly. Low, mumbled phrases continued to leak from her lips, most of which took the form of "She would tell me!" or "Why  _wouldn't_  she tell me?!" Neither the athlete nor the dressmaker could force themselves to approach, even as they watched her come unglued. Only Fuyu stepped forward, killing her walk with a hand on the shoulder. "Wh-what?"

Her words were as firm as the expression on her face, but only a little louder than a whisper. "Now you understand. She's been lying to both of us."

"She loves me," Twilight whimpered. Each word stumbled out in a heartbreaking fashion. "She's always loved me." Rarity could no longer bear witness to the scene and hid her eyes; even Rainbow, her face twisted with sadness, had to glance at the floor.

Fuyu made the librarian face her. "You're correct. She loves you dearly. That doesn't mean she's been honest with you."

Twilight couldn't formulate a response, but the wheels were turning at light-speed in her head. She gently pulled away and went back to the table to sit down. "That's why you were so brooding. She lied to you too...about whatever it is you can't tell me." After drying her eyes, she looked over the women near the stairs. "I'm fine. You don't have to hide."

Rainbow was the first to move closer. "You sure?"

"Yes. Now I understand why Fuyu was acting so..." Her hands waved about erratically, grasping for a term that wouldn't come.

"Moody?" the pale woman offered, faintly smiling.

For some reason, picturing her as moody made the other three smile, in Rarity's case, or flat out laugh in Rainbow and Twilight's. "Some moodiness," the librarian said. "I guess that fits as well as anything." She rested her chin on her hands and sighed. "I'm glad we're leaving tomorrow. I need answers."

"Agreed," Rarity nodded. "Had I known it was this bad I would have gone with you."

"It's fine. You've got to get the town ready for Nightmare Night next week." Twilight got to her feet again. "Looks like it's just Applejack and us, Fu."

"Like hell it is!" Rainbow, arms folded, peered at the librarian. "I thought I knew what she was getting into, but apparently Shy and Pinkie don't have the whole story. If you think I'm letting AJ go by herself after hearing all this shit, you're wrong."

Twilight nodded once. "I understand. I'll uh, I'll go make the arrangements now." She vanished into the public space.

"Goodness, that was intense." Rarity fanned herself for a moment while groping for her composure. "Speaking of arrangements, I've brought something you need to try on!" She too vanished, skittering toward the rear entryway.

Rainbow leaned on the wall and regarded Fuyu evenly. "I don't know if I like this, Fu."

She was busy looking through the doorway, where Twilight was visible while on the phone with someone. "That makes at least three of us. Applejack knows the purpose of our trip, by the way. I made sure to tell her."

"All right. Saves me from having to explain anything." They both looked as Rarity returned, fumbling with a long black and blue garment. "Oh, this oughta be good."

"It better be, I spent two nights on it." She handed it off with a broad smile. "We'll wait here while you try it on."

"Very well." Electing to wrangle the thing with her magic, both dress and Fuyu went up the steps. In no time she shed her clothes and slipped it on, examining herself in the mirror as she smoothed it down. It was almost all black, save two stripes of turquoise which ran from the hem near her ankles and all the way up her sides to her armpits. There were no straps – the fit was so snug these would have been redundant anyway – and its length was such that it almost dragged on the floor as she walked around.

"May we come up?" Rarity asked from the base of the stairs.

"Yes."

They peeked over the floorboards before fully entering. "Damn," Rainbow whistled, "You clean up good."

"Well. Clean up well." Rarity moved in circles around the pale woman, judging her handiwork. "I can't say I don't agree. How does it fit?"

Fuyu tracked her as she walked around. "Fine. I would say you didn't have to do this, but I doubt you'd listen."

The dressmaker hid a giggle with her hand. "You would be correct. Do you approve?"

Another long look in the dresser mirror came and went before she nodded. "I like it."

Twilight arrived behind them, the noise of her footsteps causing everyone to turn. "We're rea—whoa, Fuyu. You look great!"

Rarity smiled brightly, but it faded into a worried frown. "Dare I ask what you two are going to wear?"

"Whatever I feel like. I'm going home to pack. See you later." Rainbow pulled her wings and zipped down the stairs, leaving Rarity to emit an annoyed grunt.

Twilight shook her head and grinned weakly. "We'd better get packed too. Big day tomorrow."

Fuyu, staring at herself in the mirror, could only think of her impending audience with Luna. "Yes," she muttered, "very big." A few unhappy noises from Rarity shattered her reverie. "What?"

"Something's missing..." Rarity circled a few more times before snapping her fingers. "Gloves! I'll be right back."

"No need." Fuyu raised her right hand and excreted ebony from her skin, which wrapped around her arm like a snake until it became one solid, skintight smear that covered everything from her elbow down. She repeated the process with her left arm and looked at Rarity for approval. All she got was a dumbfounded, mouth agape stare from both women. "I told you I could make my own clothes," she said, smirking.

* * *

Friday morning arrived cloaked in clouds and frigid air. Twilight, Spike, and Fuyu all carpooled to the train station at the librarian's insistence; Rainbow and Applejack followed them in the old red truck, while Rarity's silver SUV, containing herself, Fluttershy, and Pinkie brought up the rear. To their surprise, they found that Trixie had beaten them all to the station. She was waiting on the platform as they came outside.

"What are  _you_  doing here?" Rarity hissed, trying to kill the magician with her glare.

Trixie's stance became more rigid as she stared at the tracks. "Saying goodbye to a friend."

"Please don't fight while I'm away," Twilight moaned, rolling her eyes. Once confident that the two women would remain a safe distance apart, she began issuing standing orders. "Spike, you have the library until Tuesday night. You read the to-do list, didn't you?"

He nodded and smiled wryly. "Of course. Pretty much the same thing I do when you're around, just without fear of waking you up."

"Gee, thanks." She looked over at Pinkie, who was giving Fuyu what could only be described as an angry hug, and Fluttershy. "Will you two keep Rarity and Trixie separated, please?"

"Yep!" Pinkie chirped, then whispered into the pale woman's ear. "I am so mad at you for not telling us about the thing."

Fuyu patted her on the back. "I didn't want you to worry."

"Are you sure you don't want us to go?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow folded her arms. "She's got plenty of backup, relax."

Applejack, who was hauling most of the luggage, set the cases down and tossed her keys to Pinkie. "Y'all take my truck back home, will ya? Don't want Mac and Granny ta get back and think someone done stole it."

Pinkie jingled the keys and bounced in place. "Yep! I'll even try not to crash it on the way!" She laughed at the noise Applejack made. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

"I'll just leave my car here, I guess." Twilight fidgeted while running down a mental checklist. "We've all got our phones, right?" Her party nodded in turn. "Right. Now we wait."

The congregation split and occupied benches. Fuyu ended up between Twilight and Trixie, with Rarity watching like a hawk from the seats to their left. "Listen, before you go, I just want you to know that...well, that I know how serious this thing is," the magician said, leaning forward to talk to Twilight.

She shrugged it off and tried to smile. "I guess I'm not really surprised. By the way, um, sorry for trying to kill you."

"I deserved it."

"Mm, well. Let's hope Rarity doesn't try and finish what I started."

"I'm sure everything will be fine." Fuyu looked up at the flat gray sky. "Is it supposed to rain?"

Twilight swung her legs back and forth like a child, trying to calm her nerves. "Snow, believe it or not. Before Nightmare Night! That hasn't happened in years – if I'm to believe the local weatherman."

"I suppose that's what you get for living in the foothills." Trixie caught a movement out the corner of her eye and glanced over to see Rarity glaring. "I get it! You still hate me!"

"You have  _no_  idea." The dressmaker looked away and over at Applejack, seated by her side with Rainbow. "I'm really looking forward to having Apple Bloom, by the way. The Boutique can feel sort of empty this time of year."

The blonde tipped her hat. "You're such a sweetheart. I appreciate ya lettin' her stay over."

"I love your sister almost as much as my own. Besides, someone has to keep her safe from that woman."

Rainbow interjected with a wry smile. "You know, if you guys get into a fight and break the town, Fu's liable to fly back here and beat both your asses." Before Rarity could reply, a low, grumbling noise caught everyone's attention.

Twilight recognized it first. "Our ride is here," she said, rising from the bench and grabbing her suitcase. The train appeared a few minutes later, trundling to a halt before the platform. She, Fuyu, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash approached the train, but the librarian stopped them short. They all turned to regard those they were leaving behind.

"Good luck," Rarity offered with a dainty wave.

"We'll mind the store," Spike added. "Go get what you're after."

"We intend to," the pale woman replied. She looked over her traveling party with stern eyes. "My friends...it's time I finally went home."


	11. Two Winters

The sun slipped lower into the sky the higher the train crawled. By the time the tracks leveled out again and the tunnels stopped coming, it was past six in the evening. Fuyu's traveling party was huddled together on four seats in the first passenger car.

"What did I tell you about the view?" Twilight said with a grin. "Wasn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, it was," Fuyu replied, reviewing the spiraling vistas in her mind for a moment. She blew on the window glass and gazed at the resulting fog. "I wonder how cold it is."

"Too damn cold," Rainbow muttered. Her face was barely visible from the tiny opening of her drawn-up hood. Applejack, seated to her left, had put on a jacket several miles ago.

Twilight's brow furrowed at the complaint. "It's not that bad." Despite her words, she was wearing a sweater. "I might be regretting the skirt a little, though."

Fuyu smiled as she followed the conversation.  _She_  was still in short sleeves and capri pants. "You were right about flying. I don't think Applejack and Rainbow Dash would have survived the trip.

"No kiddin'," the blonde grumbled. "Figures  _we_  get the train with the outta order heat."

"It'll only be a few more minutes." Twilight used her magic to open the window, then stuck her head out and looked in their direction of travel. "I can almost see the ci-"

"Shut the window!" Rainbow growled, swiping her arms at the librarian. "Are you insane?!"

"Geez, you're grumpy." She withdrew and closed it, grinning wryly.

"So...y'all two nervous?" Applejack asked, crossing her legs and looking at Fuyu and Twilight.

Fuyu shrugged. "A little."

Twilight was somewhat less willing to speak. She fidgeted for a few seconds before nodding. "Yeah. I don't know what to expect."

Rainbow loosened her hood to flash a grin. "It's cool. We've got your back."

"Thanks. We may need all the help we can get."

Ten minutes passed in relative silence, save for Rainbow muttering about the cold. The rails were now laid on a widening plateau, and in short order the low buildings and houses of the outer reaches of Canterlot were passing them by. In five more minutes more tracks appeared as they approached the station. The sunlight flickered as the metal and glass arch over the platforms swallowed the train, which finally lurched to a stop.

"Here we go, girls," Twilight said. She and Fuyu used their power to grab all the luggage from the overhead rack. The station was far emptier than the last time the librarian had seen it, so their trip from the train to the sidewalk took little time. Once there, Applejack, being the tallest and most easily seen, took up hailing a cab.

"I hope this hotel is decent," Rainbow said. She rubbed her arms furiously to fight the bitter chill.

Fuyu hardly heard her speak, nor Twilight's response. The city scene, braced by towering hulks of glass and steel and hundreds of people wandering about, left her dumbfounded.

"I think we've lost Fu," Applejack chuckled, still waving for a cab.

Twilight smiled over at her. "Let her take it in."

The blonde finally managed to attract the attention of a yellow van. Once it came to a stop they all piled in – although Rainbow needed to snap Fuyu out of her reverie – and Twilight gave the driver the address for their hotel. She was familiar with it; the building was near the castle road, and used by dignitaries from other countries when visiting.

"We won't get in the castle until tomorrow morning. Fuyu, do you want to wander around the city and see if you can remember anything?" she asked while peering at the itinerary.

"Yes." The pale woman was truly overwhelmed by the sight of everything outside the windows. She had never seen this many people in one place at one time, nor buildings this tall. All but a small blotch of the evening sky was consumed by their hulk. It felt like every other person had some sort of magical spark; her internal radar displayed innumerable blips moving every which way. The van was only able to enter the flow of cars after a couple of moments. Traffic was heavy and slow at best, forcing a series of short bursts of actual travel sandwiched in long pauses.

"We'da gotten there faster walkin'," Applejack complained, staring out the window at the cars that were trapped with them.

Twilight was also looking at the snarl. Her face said she was beginning to get annoyed. "This is what you get when you stick a quarter of a million people on the side of a mountain."

"Kinda figured we'd get to, you know, stay  _in_  the castle," Rainbow added. She looked to her right, where Fuyu was still gawking at her surroundings. "Never been in a city this big, huh? Trust me, it's all glitter and snobs. Twilight might be the only good thing to come outta here."

"It's not snobby! Well...some of it isn't." She used her phone to check the time. "You might be right about walking, Applejack. We've gone a block and a half in about eight minutes."

Rainbow cackled briefly, but her face dropped when she remembered what exiting the van would mean. "Hey, this thing has heat. You'll have to drag me to get me back out there."

"It's really not that cold!" Twilight surveyed the group and found that Fuyu was the only one not shivering. "...it's freaking cold, isn't it?" Applejack and Rainbow nodded furiously.

It took nearly half an hour for them to cover the distance from the station to the hotel. When they arrived, Fuyu stared at it as she had almost everything else in the city. Even amongst those buildings, however, this one stood out – twenty stories of rectangular tower that jabbed at the sky, it seemed to be cut from one solid piece of glass reflecting everything and everyone that passed it by. Its exterior had no seams save the gleaming stainless steel frames on the corners and the revolving door through which people came and went.

"Here we are!" The librarian hopped out and pulled her luggage along through the air. "It just got renovated. These are the largest single-piece plate glass windows on the entire  _planet_." Her emphasis was unnecessary – Rainbow and Applejack were staring so hard at the building it seemed their eyes might fall out. "Girls, please. You look ridiculous." She tried to swallow the final word when she noticed Fuyu was equally gobsmacked. "Uh...right. Come on, let's check in."

They wandered inside at last, greeted by a pleasant heat and more shiny surfaces. The floors were some sort of marble, freshly polished with glittering veins of some yellow metal streaking through them. This material was also carved into the steps of the large, centrally placed stairway, which lead up to a balcony that hung over the entire back half of the lobby. The walls were paneled wood, equally polished, and the ceiling – several stories above them – was a white, rough stone. Twilight lead them to the granite reception desk.

"Holy hell, is this gold?" Rainbow whispered, staring at the floor under her footsteps.

"Yep!" Twilight rang the bell and assumed a professional demeanor. A receptionist appeared seemingly out of nowhere, patting at her brown hair and adjusting her red glasses as she walked up. "Party of four under the name Twilight Sparkle."

"Just a moment." She tapped on her keyboard until her eyes suddenly widened. "Princess Twilight?" After skimming the instructions, she leaned across the counter and spoke very lowly. "May I see your..."

"Mhm." Twilight nudged Fuyu in the side. Almost simultaneously they displayed their medals of the Order of the Morning Sun.

"Very good." She smiled as Applejack and Rainbow finally came to stand beside their friends. "Too bad you didn't get one of the summer ceremonies, Dame," she joked, looking at Fuyu.

The pale woman smiled back faintly as she put her medal away. Although her thoughts were fading from amazement into anxiety at tomorrow, she still tried to make small talk. "Oh, I don't mind the cold."

At Twilight's insistence, everyone carried their own luggage up the grand staircase, moving to a set of elevators and piling into one. "Our rooms are on the fifteenth floor. Fuyu and I are sharing one, and you two have the other."

"Great. We're gonna freeze ta death if we can't stockpile body heat." Applejack smirked as her girlfriend snorted and laughed.

Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. "Oh, you two." The doors opened and they entered a carpeted hallway. "1506 and 1507...here we go. As soon as everyone gets settled, want to go out for dinner?"

"Sure. Let me unpack my double-thick fleece and get it ready." Rainbow bade Twilight and Fuyu farewell with a wave, which transformed into pushing Applejack through door once she'd opened it.

"They're quite a couple," Fuyu said. Once Twilight had secured the card key and opened the door, she peered through it to find a spacious room that had a sitting area, two beds, and an open door that lead into a white-tile bathroom. The biggest thing about the room was the window beyond the couch – though it was more a glass wall with curtains than a standard window – which framed the castle over the gaping maw of the river valley below it and the city. "Nice view."

Twilight walked over to stare at it with her. "Yeah, wow. I didn't think we'd get to see the castle from this floor." She rubbed the back of her neck while trying to frame her next words. "There are some places I want to go with you after dinner. If you lived here they might jog your memory."

Fuyu crossed her arms but didn't look over. "All right. I suppose it can't hurt to look around."

* * *

The sun had long faded when the four of them came out of the restaurant. Rainbow, despite being hilariously bundled up, made chattering noises was they proceeded down the sidewalk.

Twilight frowned at her shivering, even though she was beginning to do the same. "You two head on back, Fuyu and I are going for a walk."

Applejack peered at her for a moment. "Y'all gonna go see if Fu remembers anything, ain't ya?" When Twilight nodded, she poked at Rainbow to get her attention. "Lead the way, then."

"But it's freezing! Rainbow might keel over." She watched them both shake their heads. "Are you sure?"

Fuyu stared up at the stars while listening to the conversation. "Let them come if they want."

Rainbow flashed a smile while clinging to the blonde's side. "Of course we wanna come. What's our first stop?"

Twilight drew a blank and tilted her head at the pale woman. "Um, I'm not sure. Fuyu, did you have something in mind?"

"Is there an orphanage around here?'

Stunned, all three of them stopped walking to stare at her. "Wh-what did you say?" Twilight asked, hugging herself for reasons that were no longer related to the weather.

Fuyu knew she'd let too much slip, but her proximity to the Princesses, both in time and distance, dulled her concern about keeping their secrets any longer. "An orphanage. Is there one nearby?"

Applejack loosed a noise that made everyone's attention turn to her. Rainbow looked up and shook her gently. "D-don't mind me," she finally stammered, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "Just...unhappy memories is all."

It triggered a line of mental questions that Fuyu suddenly wanted answers to. "Is that why I didn't want to..." she trailed off, having to let the remainder of her question be silent so the people passing them by wouldn't get curious.

She shrugged weakly, hugging Rainbow to her side. "I dunno. Maybe. Maybe that's why I picked y'all up that day. I knew that look."

Fuyu didn't understand at first, but her eyes lit up with sadness once she did. "We were both left behind," she muttered, turning away and staring at the concrete. Another piece fell into place. "Perhaps I understood it at the time without being aware of why I felt so...conflicted."

"So you're both orphans?" Rainbow blurted out. She shrank back under Twilight's disapproving glare. "Sorry."

"I guess." Applejack's voice was weary. Fuyu moved over to hug the half of her not currently occupied by her girlfriend. "Thanks. Come on, let's get where we're goin'."

A tense, silent Twilight lead them through the city streets as fast as foot traffic would allow. They left the glitz and light of downtown behind, heading east toward the mountain neighborhoods. Past the Academy of Science, the city got lower and wider, which let in the sky.

Rainbow used this to try and break the silence. "Look at the stars!" It failed, leaving her to growl. "Damn it, say  _something_! You guys are starting to freak me out!" That too failed; they all proceeded in varying levels of awkward silence.

"There." Twilight pointed at a squat, single-story complex clad in off-white stucco and consisting of three buildings. It was surrounded by a chain link fence and had a few open areas of grass with small trees. A large placard near the gate said everything: East Canterlot Refuge for the Orphaned. "It still looks the same after all this time." A questioning glance from Fuyu made her clarify. "When I was a student at the Academy, we did volunteer work. I've been here quite a few times. Believe it or not, this is the only orphanage in the entire city. Princess Celestia puts so much emphasis on finding foster homes for the children." Everyone stepped back as Fuyu approached the fence and grabbed on, staring through the links. "...anything?"

"I don't know yet." She leaned on the fence, pressing it in slightly. Her eyes consumed every detail of the scene before her brain went about seeing what rang familiar. Nothing did; the details faded into her mental dossier about the city and sat there like a lump. "No. I don't remember this place."

"You know what? I'm not really shocked that you don't." Rainbow and Applejack made a surprised noise at Twilight's assertion. "Hear me out. Fuyu isn't a regular person, why would she be a regular orphan? I bet she lived at the castle."

"I guess you have a point..." Rainbow poked idly at the blonde. "Hey, you all right up there?"

Applejack gave her a squeeze. "Yeah, I'm fine. Cold as hell."

Fuyu turned away from the fence and regarded them before waving her hand back toward the skyscrapers. "Let's go before you all freeze to death."

With the mood lightened – or perhaps stabilized – the walk back seemed to take less time. Twilight abruptly took up Rainbow's outburst from ten minutes prior and explained that the stars up here looked clearer since the air was thinner, and that she'd learned this in her year of astronomy classes at the Academy of Science – which was just coming up on their right as she spoke. Like a bored tourist, Fuyu looked as she pointed, but the sight almost passed her by without notice.

_Wait._

She did, coming to a halt and staring at the building's ionic colums. Her friends were still talking and walking. Their noise faded as Fuyu began to think.

_Wait..._

"Shoot, I shoulda paid more attention in school," Applejack joked. "I wonder if Big Mac still has our telescope packed up in the att-" She closed her mouth, sensing that something was wrong. "Uh, we're missin' Fu." They all stopped and looked over their shoulder to find her staring off into space, or so it appeared. "Fu? What're ya doin'?"

She barely heard them walk back over. Her mind was on fire with a feeling incomprehensible, like anxiety and relief mixed together in a swirl. Moving like a robot, she left the sidewalk and approached the Academy through the parking lot.

"Fuyu! Wait!" Twilight tried to step in front of her, but was gently set aside with magic. "What's wrong?" she asked, settling for walking along with her. Rainbow and Applejack took up a similar position on the opposite side.

"I've  _been_  here," she breathed, stopping at the base of the wide stairs. "Why have I been here?"

"At the Academy?" Dumbfounded, Twilight stared up at the building and scratched her head. "I have no idea. Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Fuyu wrangled with the realization; being told was one thing, but experiencing a recollection first-hand was overwhelming. It was like seeing the picture of the castle garden, but a thousand times more vivid.

"I thought this was just some fancy scientist place or something?" Applejack looked down at the librarian for confirmation.

She nodded, mostly looking at the shock on Fuyu's face. "Mostly, but there are classes here too for advanced students."

Rainbow cackled briefly. "Figures you'd have studied here. But what does it have to do with Fu?"

"I don't know, I just know I've been here before."

Twilight's mind raced as she tried to form a story to fit with the information. "What if you were a student? I mean, it's hard to forget the smell of those classrooms..."

Fuyu was slowly ascending the steps. "Chalk and musty books." She stopped and almost glared at the door. "I must have been well off to be enrolled, right?"

"Not necessarily. Getting in is based on talent. If you and I took classes here...maybe you were right about us being similar." Twilight stared at her shoes until Rainbow jabbed her in the side. "Ow! What was that for?"

The athlete chided her gently. "I know that look. You're gonna lose it again."

"I am not! I'm just...thinking. If Fuyu were powerful enough, the Princess would certainly take notice and try to take her in as a pupil. Like me. But...we seem to be about the same age." Twilight placed her chin on a fist and started to walk up and down a section of the steps. "If that's so, then why did I never see you?" She looked at Fuyu, who was still locked in a staring contest with the front doors. "Or hear of you? Fuyu...are you listening?"

"I don't know, and I don't know." She looked away and at her friends once again. They were all visibly shivering by now. "Let's go back. You don't need to freeze while I mull this over."

"You're not the only one with mulling to do, but I guess you're right about doing it somewhere warm." Twilight looked back up at the columns, brow furrowed. "I have a  _lot_  of questions for the Princess in the morning."

* * *

Sunrise never really came for Canterlot the next day. The light was strained through a flat gray sky, so faded it may as well have been white. Twilight sat on the couch with Fuyu, watching the morning news to get an idea of the weather. Neither were really paying attention to the broadcast. Instead they found themselves locked in a circular exchange that had lasted since they arrived in their room last night.

"It would explain why you knew my name. You heard of me while under Celestia's tutelage."

 _Is that what we're calling it now?_  Fuyu rubbed at the bangs covering her left eye and sighed. Her brain had been carrying on an alternating spiral of charade and genuine curiosity for over nine hours. It was giving her a headache.

"But how did I never  _see_  you?"

"She was hiding me." Fuyu's face became blank as she felt Twilight bristle. "If I may be honest, our night would have been better spent resting."

The librarian was looking cross – or perhaps terrified and just trying to mask it with vague anger. "...how much do you know that you can't tell me?"

"Enough to be afraid." She rose from the couch and wandered over to her unmolested bed, where her duffel bag lay, to grab a new outfit. "I'm going to go change," she added, drifting into the bathroom.

Unable to muster enough willpower to stop her, Twilight waved a hand and glared at the TV. "I can't believe it's going to snow. I can't believe I only got fifteen minutes of sleep. I can't believe she kept  _secrets from me_ , her faithf-" A knock at the door cut her short. "It's open!"

"Howdy!" Applejack greeted, tipping her hat. "Ready for the rehe—geez, Twi, y'all look like ya got hit by a truck."

Twilight moaned and placed her head into her hands. "I'm running on adrenaline and three cups of coffee."

"Nervous?"

She raised slightly and looked over. "Celestia's going to tell me that Fuyu was a victim of something. Something her parents did to her. Whatever it was, it made her powerful, so she needed mentoring."

Applejack leaned on the wall and shrugged. "Sounds like your story, except for the evil parents part."

"I know. And honestly, I'm not sure whether to be relieved or terrified." Fuyu stepped out, drawing their eyes. "I'd better go splash some water on my face and  _try_  to look decent."

As she disappeared into the bathroom, a yawning Rainbow stumbled in from the open door to the hallway. "I'm up," she droned. "Fuck, it's too early."

Fuyu approached to talk to the couple lowly. "Twilight isn't ready for the truth."

Applejack shrugged again, trying to seem less concerned than she was. "I think she'd handle it better if you'd just tell her, don't ya?"

"Not this. She needs to hear this from the Princess' mouth." The pale woman returned Rainbow's grumpy look. "Even then, I have no idea how she  _will_  handle it."

"That's why we're here, Fu. As moral support. At six-thirty in the morning." Rainbow grunted as Applejack jostled her with an elbow. "Can you snort coffee? I'm about to try."

"Let's get this over with," Twilight grumbled as she stalked out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Fuyu went out after her, leaving the couple behind to exchange unsettled looks.

"I wish I know what the hell we've really signed up for," Applejack lamented.

The four of them departed the hotel on foot and moved up the sidewalk toward the castle road. Twilight took charge of the party when dealing with the guard, although both she and Fuyu were asked to produce their medals as final proof to gain entry. Once through the gate, they began the winding climb up side by side. The spires of the castle were visible ahead of them, growing closer and taller with each step.

Twilight trembled against the frigid weather – she dressed relatively lightly in hopes the temperature would keep her alert, but was now regretting her decision. "All right, if the rehearsal is anything like mine, we'll be held outside the garden entrance for a while until they're ready for us. We'll probably end up chatting with the other Order entrants. Nobody has to say anything about what actions lead to them getting into the Order, so if you are asked just decline to answer. Once we're in, they'll show everyone where the throne room is."

"Right." Fuyu's eyes were locked on the castle as she nodded.

Rainbow waved her hand to get some attention. "What do we do?"

"We are allowed to wander about once we get into the castle – to an extent. Usual stuff applies about being discrete. When it starts we'll all be called into the throne room for Princess Celestia to receive us."

"Got it. I'll make sure Rainbow don't break nothin'." Applejack chuckled at her girlfriend's whispered 'fuck off'.

Fuyu smiled at Rainbow too, if only to let in some other thought than the business she was focused on. "When can we speak with the Princess?"

Twilight's eyes became hard. "That's where I'm going to deviate from the usual. I know where she is. You and I are going to find her."

Applejack didn't care for the tone of those words and tried to walk Twilight back from them. "Whoa! Are y'all gonna have it out with the Princess?!"

"Don't be silly. We're going to have a very reasonable conversation and she is going to  _tell me everything_."

Fuyu nodded again. "If she doesn't, I will. At least what I know."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Rainbow whimpered, trying to hide in her hoodie.

They had entered the garden by now, and were moving down one of the stone paths lined with benches. Canterlot Castle was in full view, towering above them against the white sky. To Fuyu, the sight was vaguely familiar, but didn't strike her in the way the Academy had. The door in front of them opened as they scaled the steps; behind it was a small gathering of people clumped together on the red carpet.

"Hey!"

From a corridor to the left appeared Stormy, twice almost falling over her long red skirt as she walked over. Once stable enough, she flipped her white ponytail over her shoulder and waved. "Fancy seeing you guys here!"

"...Stormy?" Applejack blinked. "Uh...hey?"

She placed her hands on her hips and let loose an exaggerated sigh. "I know what you're thinking. 'Oh boy, Stormy must be here to steal something.' No, I'm here 'cause I've got  _this._ " Her hand slipped into her skirt pocket and came back out with the same sort of presentation box that Fuyu had received her medal in. Rainbow and Applejack's looks made her giggle, but Fuyu and Twilight were too focused to pay much mind. "Uh huh. That's what I thought."

"How the hell did you end up with one of these things?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't have to tell you. It's in the letter thingy I got." Stormy blew her off and walked over to Fuyu, giving her a hug. "I was totally gonna invite you but I couldn't get in touch. Sorry about leaving so suddenly after the...you know... _thing._ "

The pale woman returned her embrace and smiled again, happy to think about something else for the moment. "It's all right. How is the library treating you?"

"Oh man, it's so boring. I keep falling asleep."

"How do you still have a job there?" Twilight grumbled, visibly cranky.

Stormy giggled and shrugged. "Normally I'd snap at you for being bitchy, but you know what? You're right. I ain't got a clue."

Fuyu pulled away and glared down the halls, looking for Luna. "Well, it is nice to see you again."

Before anyone could ask why she seemed so mad, the group was called to move after one of the courtesans. Moving down the same hallway from which Stormy had, it took fifteen minutes of walking and turning more corners than they could count to bring them to a set of double doors with a massive sun symbol laid in gold across the center. The courtesan explained that there would be a delay before the Princess would be able to see them and then released everyone to kill time before disappearing.

"Come on." Twilight grabbed the pale woman's hand and began to lead her as the gaggle broke up.

"Say hi to the other Fuyu for me!" Stormy called, waving.

Stunned, she went to autopilot as the librarian tugged her along. "Other Fuyu?"

"I don't know, I don't care, I have enough to deal with, and I'm sorry if that seems harsh but I am about to  _lose_  it." Despite her insistence, it  _was_  harsh enough to make her care after a moment. "Sorry. I just...I'm kind of scared." By now they were looking up a long staircase. "These are the offices. Every morning she comes up here to read paperwork from Parliament." A huge breath served to steady her nerves, but only for a moment. "I'm going up."

Fuyu started up the steps too, but stopped when Twilight blocked her with an arm. "Shouldn't I come?"

"I think I might get farther alone, but thank you. If I need you I'll call."

"All right." She stepped back onto the floor and watched the librarian ascend, then walk out of view. Alone, she allowed herself to look at the décor to see if anything was familiar. "Let's hope she doesn't go insane and I have to do the thing I was meant for."

With nothing else to do, she looked at the paintings hanging on the walls. Most were of cities or places around the country, but a few were people. These attracted her. " _Prince Blueblood_ ," she read out loud. "So that's who Rarity was talking about." Another one was of an aged man wearing an odd hat who had a tremendous beard. " _Starswirl_?" The texture of his facial hair was fascinating enough to make her reach out toward it.

"Please don't touch the paintings."

Surprised, she looked to her left and found a middle-aged woman with brown hair and olive skin tone, wearing the same uniform the courtesans did. A small basket full of cleaning supplies was at her right foot. On further inspection, Fuyu decided she looked a lot like Twilight, although the librarian lacked the almond-shaped eyes. She polished the small metal title tab under a painting of a river as the pale woman walked over.

The woman kept on polishing, stopping only to examine her work. "You would be surprised how many people try to touch  _Starswirl._ The technique really makes his beard look three dimensional." Finished, she looked over with a professional smile, only to freeze and startle badly after making eye contact. "It's...it's you!" she yelped, stumbling backwards.

"What?" Fuyu was so confused she peeked back over her shoulder to see if someone else was there, but saw nothing. "Me?"

"Yes, you! I haven't seen you since that..." Uncertain, she trailed off and became tense. "I thought you'd died. That's what they told me."

Attempts at recalling just who she was talking to left Fuyu with nothing. It annoyed her. "Who are you?"

She shrank away even farther until her back bumped into a column. "My name is Fuyu."

An eternity trundled by before Fuyu registered what she'd heard. Confused, she tilted her head and stared. "What did you say?"

She slipped from the column and into the hallway, facing the pale woman all the while. "My name is Fuyu. You probably don't even remember me, we only met once and...well, to be honest I don't think I should be talking about any of this..."

"No." Revulsion swamped her brain, a feeling she couldn't quite understand but knew she hated. " _My_  name is Fuyu."

"Oh, wow, you took my name?"

"No, it's been my name since...forever. That's always been my name." Control was slipping away from her, and it showed in her wild blue eyes. "I'm Fuyu. I've always been Fuyu."

"Not when I saw you last, they hadn't given you a name yet."

Fuyu grabbed her would-be double by the collar and lifted her with one arm off the carpet. "Who would give me a name besides my parents? Why would I not  _have_  a name?! Why do you have  _my name_?!" she growled, eyes full of an emotion that no one had seen before and lived.

"Winter!"

Both angered killing machine and terrified courtesan snapped their heads to the right, where Luna was coming down the long staircase. "Winter, put her down."

Like a bolt of lightning her focus shifted. She dropped the other Fuyu and began moving toward the Princess. "She stole my name. That's the first thing I ever knew! My name! She stole it!"

Luna stood her ground, but being stoic was almost beyond her ability. She wanted to weep with joy and try to be comforting – however, defusing the situation had to come first. "Leave us," she ordered, flicking a hand at the other woman.

"Why does she...?" Fuyu whispered sadly, now face-to-face with Luna. "Why..."

Luna clamped on in a hug. "I'm so sorry about this. About everything that has to do with you, if I'm being fair."

Fuyu did not return the gesture. "Is any of what your sister told me real?"

She squeezed the pale woman hard and tried not to cry. "Some of it, but not most. It's time I told you the whole truth."

Regaining her mental balance, Fuyu made Luna step back so she could pin her down with an absolutely hellish glare. "You're damn right it is."


	12. The Scratchbuilt Princess

Twilight knocked on the door and stepped back, teeth and fists clenched with something close to terror. When she heard the voice from within beckon, she took a breath so long it burnt her throat and entered.

"Twilight!" Princess Celestia waved from her desk but didn't stand. On the top was a gargantuan pile of documents. "Rainbow Dash didn't send you to shoo me along to the rehearsal, did she? I'll be there in a few minutes, I promise. I know she must be bo-" Something about the way her student shut the door and approached put her on edge. "Twilight?"

"I've figured one thing out," she said, sitting down in one of the chairs. "I mean, I don't have the why, but I've got the rest."

Celestia arranged the papers with her magic and set them all to one side. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Fuyu. I know." Twilight's heartbeat quickened at the look she saw appear on her mentor's face. "What? Didn't you think I'd find out eventually?"

Her priority became learning what Twilight  _did_  know; to that end she stilled her rattled nerves and searched for some leading questions. "Find out what? I'm a little confused."

Twilight issued an annoyed groan and crossed her legs. "Someone did something to Fuyu that made her powerful. So powerful she needed your guidance. She remembered being at the Academy of Science. What the classrooms smelled like. You made her your student, just like me. What I can't figure out is why you felt the need to  _hide it_!"

"Well, I..." Celestia trailed off, feigning nervousness in hopes the delay would make Twilight reveal more.

"No, seriously. Did you think I'd be jealous? I would have loved the company!" She found herself growing more agitated despite the weight she was getting off her chest. "Just...why did you hide her?"

The Princess clasped her hands on the desk and sighed. "You saw what she'd become. I couldn't have paraded her around the city. I had to hide her – even from you."

"Because of what she had to eat, right?" Mulling this over and combining it with the story she'd built took a few minutes. "But if that was the case, you had the amulet. Why not give it to her?"

"We didn't have it. We knew it existed and some of what it was capable of. You saw what it did to Trixie. Fuyu was already incredibly strong, I was wont to risk giving it to her and risk unleashing an even greater monster. I didn't dare publicize its existence either, because we both know how many treasure-seekers and world-conquering wannabes that would have dredged up." Celestia decompressed as she saw Twilight slump over in thought. Seizing the chance to move the conversation farther away from Fuyu, she asked "Did you see yourself in her? Is that what tipped you off?"

"No, but in hindsight I guess we are sort of alike." She looked past the Princess and out the window. "How did she get away from you? Why didn't you look for her?"

The uncomfortable demeanor was no act as she replied. "Her...feeding habits caused her incredible stress."

Twilight nodded forlornly. "Yeah, I noticed. Do you realize she remembers every single one of the people she's killed? I'm surprised it hasn't destroyed her."

"She was the same way here. Being around people drove her to the point of insanity. She begged me to let her go, to give her a chance to isolate herself. I did, even though I was worried she might find the amulet. I didn't think the amulet would find  _her_. As for not looking, well...imagine the panic that would have caused. I can see the headlines: 'Cannibal Serial Killer On the Loose'. The country is unstable enough, it surely doesn't need my help in making things worse."

"I guess that all makes sense. Trixie has a tendency to screw everything up, but she's trying to make up for...for it." Twilight hesitated as she remembered the magician wasn't the only one. "Fuyu is too, I think. She's stern...imposing, but so kind. Always keeps a promise. She hates to hurt anything – I mean, she won't even swat houseflies. Under the circumstances, she turned out really well."

Celestia deflated with relief, figuring the prickly portion of the conversation had come to an end. "I'm glad to hear it. When I found out she was living with you, I knew she would be in good hands."

"Oh," Twilight giggled and blushed. The color ran away from her face just as fast. "That's not the only thing that's bothering me."

"Hmm?"

Twilight perked up with anticipation in her chair. "Fuyu said we both had the power to transmute matter. Is she right?"

In an instant, Celestia found herself hurled right back into the thorns. "She said that to you?" A nod from her student made the blood freeze in her veins. "I wonder where she got such a thing."

Rather than seeming angry, Twilight sighed and took on the air of a disappointed parent. "Princess, Fuyu doesn't lie. Not about stuff like this. Please, just tell me?"

"Very well." She rose and came slowly around the desk, using her deliberate steps to determine if she wished to trade one secret to keep another safe. Her brow furrowed. "She was right. You once transmuted matter." Once again, she didn't quite get the reaction she expected; it appeared her student was rolling the admission around in her head like a fine wine. "Are you angry at me for not telling you?"

Twilight continued to stare at her knees. "I don't know yet. When did this happen? I can't remember doing it."

Celestia sat in the chair beside her student and looked out the large window behind her desk. "The practical applications test."

"Wow. That was ages ago." Poking at the memory – or where it should have been – yielded nothing. "Geez, is this how Fuyu feels about lacking most of her past? Not knowing would drive me insane."

The Princess let slip a sigh and smiled to herself since Twilight seemed to be handling the news well. "You were so terrified of failure. In your panic, you showed a power I didn't think existed outside the Royal Family."

Twilight snapped her gaze over. "Wait, you can do it?"

"Sure. It isn't something we advertise, of course. Could you imagine what everyone would do to get us to use it for them?" A chuckle slipped through her lips. "Why, it would be utter  _chaos_."

"How do you figure?"

The question, and its tone, caught her entirely off guard – so much that she actually looked it for a split second. "Say we began transmuting things to gold or diamonds or any number of valuable things because everyone wanted it. The stuff would become worthless and everyone that had wealth  _already_  would be instantly poor. Or, say we began turning rocks into food to feed the hungry. We'd run out of land to build on, or grow on, and everyone would end up starving to death. Our gift may seem like a limitless wish-granting device, but it's not." Celestia looked at Twilight to see if she'd provoked enough of a disagreement to distract her.

She had. Twilight sat back and discharged a pointed look at her mentor. "I don't think I like your last example. You can't feed everyone, so you elect to let a few of them starve to death?"

"Of course I don't want that to happen, but...it's difficult to balance things." They shared a long silence. "Welcome to being a Princess."

Groaning, she decided to drop it and move back toward her intended topic. "Er, right. We can argue later. Does Fuyu know about...well, everything? Do you have any idea about how she lost her memory?"

Celestia decided a convenient version of the truth would be best as she rose from her chair. "I'm not sure how she got amnesia, no...and I told her some details, but not all of the story. I didn't want to burden her while she was trying to build herself a new life."

"I don't think it would be a burden. I think it'd be a relief." Twilight also rose and moved to the door. "In fact, she's waiting downstairs. Let's go talk to her right now."

She didn't like the idea one bit, but figured she could at least control the conversation. "Hmm. Very well. Actually, I was hoping Luna could meet her. She tells me you've been texting her fingers off about Fuyu." They emerged out into the hallway and began walking. "Have you heard from my niece lately?"

"I've heard from my brother," Twilight snickered, accepting the shift into chit-chat. "He's tremendously bored while she's off doing official business. When is she coming back?"

"This weekend, sometime. I think Fuyu should meet Cadance too. They haven't had much interaction." Celestia waved politely at some of the courtesans who bowed as they passed.

"I don't doubt it. I think most of her time was spent being my friend and making googly eyes at Shining."

A few moments of weaving brought them back to the staircase. Twilight went down first, scratching her head as she looked around for Fuyu. "Well, this is weird. I told her to stay here in case I needed her." She saw the other Fuyu near one of the paintings, still looking a bit shaken from her encounter. "Excuse me, miss? Have you seen a tall woman around here? Muscular build, short black hair with blue bangs covering the left side of her face?"

She looked up as both Princesses came over. "Y-yes...she went with Princess Luna."

"Oh. Looks like we got beaten to the punch." Twilight glanced up and started at the dark look in Celestia's eyes. "Wow. You're looking grumpy all of a sudden."

Her frigid mask melted into a gentle smile. "Don't mind me. Would you mind going back to the group and telling them I'll be along shortly? I'll go retrieve Fuyu."

"Sure!" Twilight moved away and disappeared behind a corner. The Princess stalked off in the other direction, pulling up her long gown with her magic.

"Whatever they're talking about better not be what I  _think_  they're talking about," she hissed lowly. "No. No, Luna wouldn't do that to me." Her gait became a little more leisurely. "Still, I'd appreciate being in on the meeting. I wanted to see your face, sister." She let her thoughts drift while approaching Luna's room. "Twilight took her own little secret very well. Maybe you're right. Maybe I should let Winter have the whole truth."

After arriving she pushed the door open and found the room empty, which perturbed her despite her best efforts to remain calm. "Luna, what are you up to..." A guard on patrol was walking by as she came out. "Have you seen my sister anywhere?"

He came to a halt and saluted her sharply. "Yes, ma'am. She was departing the castle with a woman with black and blue hair."

Celestia's blood began to turn back to ice, but her visage was the picture of calm. "Did she mention where they were headed?"

"No, ma'am."

"Very well. As you were." As soon as he'd gotten out of sight, she let herself explode just a little. "Damn you! You set me up! You..." she fell silent and wilted on her feet. "I can't leave, Twilight will know something is wrong. What am I supposed to..." A thought occurred to her that made her eyes glitter. It was unsavory, and risky, but the only way to deflect any concern from her faithful student would be to use one of her friends. "Hmm." She began walking back toward the throne room as fast as her outfit allowed.

Twilight and Stormy were bickering gently as the Princess arrived, causing the gathering to fall silent and regard her. "Forgive me for the delay, but it's going to go on a bit longer." She nodded to her student and beckoned her, and her friends, over. The ex-thief also tried to approach, but a firm hand stilled her steps. "I would like to speak to you three for a moment," she whispered, leading them away from the crowd.

"Something the matter?" Applejack asked, fiddling with her hat.

Celestia smiled warmly. "An inconvenience, really. I need to borrow Rainbow Dash."

She perked her eyebrows and moved forward. "What's up?"

"Luna has kidnapped Fuyu and left the castle." A collective gasp made her shake her head. "I'm kidding. They've wandered off and I need someone fast to find them."

Rainbow flashed an arrogant smile and thumbed at her chest. "Nobody faster than me. I'll find them before you can say...I dunno, something that's easy to say. It's too damn early for me to be sassy. Back in a flash!" She pulled her wings and hovered down the hallway at breakneck speed, looking for a door or suitable window.

Twilight watched her go for a moment before poking at her mentor. "Everything all right?"

Again, she smiled warmly – this time to mask the fear boiling in her heart. "Oh, Luna's just being silly again."

* * *

Meanwhile, Fuyu and Luna were on the Academy of Science campus, the former dressed up in Luna's hoodie to hide her face. They went around to a different side of the complex than Fuyu had seen from the street. This area was trees and fountains and benches, something like the castle gardens and just as devoid of other people. The increasing snowfall had driven everyone indoors.

"It's finally snowing," Luna pointed out. She frowned when Fuyu said nothing. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way." Again, no response. "Are you angry?"

Fuyu weakly shrugged her shoulders.

"Right. I'll stop bringing it up. Come on, there's a service entrance over here I use to get in...discreetly."

Luna guided the pale woman along beside her, past the manicured landscape and toward something that looked like a gardener's shed. Inside, however, was a long stairwell that lead down. Beyond this was a tunnel, dimly lit, at whose end was a blue door. Through that was a basement, half of which was walled off while the remainder comprised an open forest of concrete pillars. No lights were on, so Luna used her magic to cast a pall. "Here is where the sausage was made, so to speak." She jumped with surprise as Fuyu threw her hoodie over.

"Start  _talking,_ " she hissed, prowling around the space like an angry cat.

Luna stood her ground as she tracked the unhappy woman. "Before I do, what story did my sister give you?"

Her words were terse, spat out with confused anger. "She told me I was an orphan from Canterlot. She said I was given the black sludge to kill Twilight Sparkle." She stopped walking to stare at Luna. "Why did that woman say I took her name? Is she my mother?"

"No. Did my sister mention how you got your name?" She rubbed her eyes at the stare she got. "The housekeeper, right? It's true. You did visit the castle once. You did meet a woman named Fuyu, and yes, that was her. You...imprinted on her."

Her fists clenched. "What does that mean?"

Luna leaned against a pillar, looking down at the indigo light that shone from the crystal in her palm. "It was part of an experiment to see if you would accept socialization. It sort of worked, but you were so childlike all you came back here with was the name. Fuyu. We ended up naming the project in your honor, sort of."

Something was stinging Fuyu's brain. It was so strong, she placed a hand on her head and winced. "She was the first person that was ever nice to me?"

"I'm...I'm afraid so." Pain bent Luna's face as she looked away. "This was before the injection process occurred. If you want to see the room, it's actually right through that door." She pointed her hand so its light shone on the wall. It was a white cinder block facade with rectangles cut out. They were covered by gray curtains. "You stayed in there for so long. We'd turn the lights on and off outside and tell you it was the day-night cycle. You never once questioned it. I don't think you ever even tried to look out the windows."

Helpless, she stared at the wall. "Is that as awful as it sounds?" She watched the Princess nod sadly. "Hmm. I had a dream about the injection, but I don't remember you being in it."

"I was in the back, out of sight. My sister was right beside you." Feeling lightheaded, Luna used her free hand to steady herself. "She didn't lie about your original purpose. You were built as a weapon to protect Equestria from a rampaging Twilight Sparkle...but then we took Project Winter in a different direction."

" _What_  direction?!" Fuyu shrieked, throwing her arms up as she reached the end of her patience.

"You were going to be the next Princess Luna."

Fuyu froze in place, unable to make herself turn around. Were she able to, she would have witnessed Luna's weary face, staring at the cold concrete floor as she grappled with her confession. "I don't...understand..." the pale woman finally whispered.

"It is kind of my fault. I grew very ill during Project Winter. My sister re-purposed you to be my new body, in case I died." She looked up as Fuyu faced her. "I know you and Twilight must have questioned why the jewels on your palms had gold trim. You are a Princess, whole and true, because we made you one."

She dropped her eyes and lifted her hands to look down at those crystals. "But how?"

Luna sat down abruptly and crossed her legs. "The amulet. You read about how it is a storage unit for magic; that is, at our core, what Princesses really are. We contain immense amounts of power. It's why we can do the things we do. It clumps together in little bits for regular people, but for you to kill Twilight we needed a lot more. When you ingested all that power we compressed and stored in the amulet, you ascended – just like we designed. We built a Princess to kill a Princess. Then I got sick, so you were going to save one instead."

Fuyu had no words, but she also sat down and clutched at her head.

The Princess couldn't make herself approach. "I'm sorry to unleash all this on you, but I promised the whole truth."

"I don't even have my own name," she muttered weakly. "Everything I thought I was...I'm not." Inhaling the dusty air made her cough once, after which she looked at Luna. "Do you at least know who my parents were?" The look on Luna's face made her stiffen with worry. "What?"

"I do know your parents," she said, her voice wavering badly. "They are  _us_. You're from Canterlot, but you are no orphan. We created you from scratch."

"You-" Fuyu leaned away as Luna suddenly broke down.

"I am so sorry!" she cried, hiding her face. "You were just a tool at first, a weapon! I designed the container for your fuel, I implemented the emergency magic acquisition protocol in case the amulet were lost, I did everything to you with my sister's blessing! She doesn't understand! I saw you become something else! I saw you cry when we fed you! I saw you pick up your first book and read! You  _became_  Winter...then my sister wanted to sacrifice your existence for my own and I could not let her do it." The silence made her scramble over and try to shake some emotion into Fuyu, who was rigid as a board and blank-faced. "I was the one that helped you escape into the river valley. I was the one that released the amulet. I...I hoped you'd find it, that it would somehow make you whole. And maybe give you...give you peace." She squeaked when Fuyu smacked her hands aside and withdrew. "You must hate us."

"How many more people did you feed me?"

"Why do you-" Fuyu's steely eyes silenced her. "Well, once every four days for five years. Whatever the math is there."

"So I've been doing this for ten years, not five...and that's all I was ever doing." She stood up and glared down at Luna. "I can't remember my past because I never had one. My life is and always has been taking others lives so I could be ready to take one specific life, except on a whim that changed to your sister taking my life so yours could be saved?"

Luna rose very slowly with her hands up as if being held at gunpoint. "Yes. Simply put, yes. My sister always kept herself at a lengthy distance from the project so Twilight wouldn't suspect anything. I could not do the same because I...I had so much pride in my work." She wilted with shame. "I am...I am so sorry..."

"Did you let me go because you cared, or-" she paused to ignore a vehement 'yes', "Or did you let me go because you just felt guilty for what you did?"

Hugging herself tightly, she nodded at both options. "I cannot lie and say it was none of the latter, but I really did care. In some twisted way, I was starting to view you as my daughter."

Fuyu needed something concrete to latch onto before the fires of Luna's confession turned her brain to ash. Since she found herself suddenly lacking an identity to fall back on, she instead focused on the gap between her present and past. "Why don't I remember my time here?"

"I erased your memory, but did not have the power to alter your programming." Luna's face was consumed by shame once more. "I knew full well you'd keep on killing and eating, but...maybe I thought having amnesia would have given you an escape. The prospect of a pleasant past to distract you from your bloody present."

She growled, long and low. "It didn't. You left me a machine. I had to start over from scratch. If Applejack hadn't found me I would still be out there...a clockwork murderer until the end of time."

Luna wanted to give her a hug, but stopped short when she saw the pale woman bristle at being approached. "I'm sorry again. I had to get you away from here. I knew it wouldn't be clean, but at least you were free."

"Free? You call dreading my every meal freedom? Being a slave to my stomach, and causing misery for a reason I didn't understand?! Is that your idea of freedom, Luna?  _Is it_?!" She stormed over and snatched her up by the collar, slamming her against a pillar. "You made me a tool, then a shell, then a killer. I don't even have a name to call my own,  _everything_  came from you. My life, my purpose, my identity. It's all a lie. Now I don't have  _anything_!"

Luna made no effort to escape Fuyu's grasp, but did allow herself to wince with pain. "If you want to kill me – us – do it. It is no less than we deserve," she wheezed. "I will not fight you."

No blows were delivered; no magic used to bring harm. She let go and watched Luna crumple to the floor, then turned on her heel and walked quickly away, disappearing through the door. After she collected herself, the Princess gave chase. They met up again just as the pale woman exited the shed and entered the stern snowfall. "Please," she begged breathlessly. "Don't take your anger out on anyone else..."

She placed a hand on her hip and snarled, but kept her back on the weeping Luna. "Here we go again with this. I'm too powerful to be trusted. She'll kill us all. It's what she was designed for, wasn't she?"

"No, that's not what I me-" The pale woman snapped her hand up and brought silence.

"I'm going home. I need to...think, cry,  _something_ , and I am not doing it in this fucking city." She produced a pair of magnificent black wings, using their thrust to push her airborne before her magic propelled her onward and upward through the weather. She blew past Rainbow Dash on the way, leaving the woman to try and catch up with her for a moment. When that failed, the athlete traced her path back to the ground and found Luna.

"Damn, there you are," she greeted, huddled against the chill. "Fu heading back to the castle, I take it?" Her face dropped when she saw the Princess crying. "Whoa, what's going on?"

"Rainbow Dash, I need you to get a message to my sister." She stared up at the flakes for a moment and frowned, teary-eyed. "What have I done..."

Awkwardly, the athlete stood a distance away and tried to trace Fuyu's flight, but had already lost her in the snow. "Um...do I even wanna know what's going on here?"

"You will find out one way or another, I suppose. Go back and tell my sister that Winter knows everything. She will understand what you mean."

* * *

Rainbow Dash delivered her message about five minutes later and unleashed a firestorm of activity in the castle. Suddenly, the rehearsal was canceled and Princess Celestia was barricaded in her office. Twilight was at the door with the athlete and Applejack, trying to coax Celestia out.

"Princess, please! What happened? Where is Fuyu? Where is  _Luna_?" the librarian called again for the sixth time. No answer came. "Rainbow Dash, what the heck?"

Rainbow gave her a helpless look. "Don't get mad at me, I thought Fu was flying back here. She was hauling  _ass_ , man, I couldn't catch her."

"What about Luna?" Applejack asked, seeming deeply uncomfortable. "Why was she cryin'?"

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought and suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh my gosh, Luna must have told Fuyu about her past. Wow. It must have been bad for her to just leave like that."

"Where d'ya think she's headin'?"

"She's gotta be going back to Ponyville, right?" Rainbow folded her arms and looked around for confirmation. "It's the only place she really knows."

"You're right. I'm going to call Rarity. Would you two mind waiting here?" They nodded and took up positions by the door, almost mimicking royal guards.

Just after the librarian had moved toward the outside to get a signal, however, Luna showed up coming from the opposite direction. Her face was weary and scrubbed red by the icy wind. "Is my sister in there?"

Applejack nodded. "Yes ma'am. Uh...I'm kinda worried. What's happenin'?"

She pushed the door open and walked through, growing abruptly tense. "You have every right to be afraid," she said, closing the door quickly.

Rainbow glared at it for a moment before looking up at her girlfriend. "The fuck? AJ, I don't like this shit. What the hell did she say to Fu?"

"No idea, but we need ta find her and fast." Fidgeting, she leaned against the wall and gazed at the corner around which Twilight had gone. "She ain't  _never_  run away before. From anything! This is  _bad_ , ain't it?"

"Sure feels that way." Rainbow's ears pricked as she heard noises from the room. "Whoa, hold on." They both pressed their ears to the wall and tried to eavesdrop. "Are they  _arguing_?"

They certainly were. Celestia had spent a full minute glaring daggers at her sister after she had arrived, but now the fight was truly on. "I cannot  _believe_  you went behind my back and told her."

Luna was anxious and upset – but on this subject she remained unbowed. "I cannot believe you put me in the position to have to go behind your back," she hissed, prowling closer. "There is no clean way out of what we've done! Why can you not get that through your stubborn skull? You can rage at me all you wish, but what I've done is right, and it's the best way out of this mess."

"No! Your confession is not ripping a bandage off a cut, Luna, it's endangering the entire country! You've unleashed a mentally unstable super-weapon on a defenseless populace and heaven only knows how many people are about to die!" She quietened with the empty gaze her sister was displaying. "What?"

"She could have killed me. After I confessed, she threw me up against a pillar. I was not going to fight her. She...she let me go." The life popped back into her eyes, but her face was still tired. "She needs time. I still believe she can come to terms with everything."

Celestia wanted to shoot her belief down, but faced with Twilight's example earlier, she found it hard to do so. Instead, she fell back down into her desk chair and hid her eyes. "I never had the faith in Twilight I should have, I admit. But I  _learned_  to trust her. I know nothing about Winter and what she's capable of."

"What did you expect? You kept yourself at such a distance you had no chance to learn." Luna, just as exhausted, dragged herself to another chair and sat. "You were so aloof."

"I  _had_  to keep my distance to maintain the secret. You're not the ruler everyone sees every day, you're able to get away with a lot more than I can." A tremendously pregnant pause came and went before she could make herself speak again. "There's so much about the project I left in your hands. I couldn't make myself do those th-" Suddenly, a cold brick of realization crashed into her heart. "I knew it was awful and I foisted it off onto you!"

"Yes, and I became so depressed I almost died." She rose and went over to hug her bitterly weeping sister. "I talked because Winter deserved the truth, but I also talked because I knew it would eventually consume you as it did me."

Celestia crumpled onto her desk and whimpered. "What have we done, Luna?"

She stroked her hair and tried to be comforting, but was crying again. "We finally screwed up."

* * *

Rarity blew a wisp of steam off her mug of cocoa and glanced out her bedroom window. The snow was coming down so hard it blurred Ponyville's skyline. "Goodness. There might not even  _be_ a Nightmare Night this year." She looked over her shoulder at the pile of costume requests and groaned. "I don't think my hands would mind." Just as she moved to take a sip, her phone rang and made her jump. "Oh, lovely. I'm sure this is another costume order."

When she got to her nightstand and saw Twilight's goofy face on the screen, her lips pursed. She picked it up and cleared her throat. "Darling! How is Canterlot? I hope you've not been struck by the same blizzard  _we_  have."

"Oh, it's totally snowing, but I have bigger things to worry about. Can you go outside and see if Fuyu is around? We think she might have flown back."

The dressmaker's brow cocked as she set down the mug. "Twilight, I can hardly see the spa from here, much less anything in the air. Why would she have done such a thing?"

"We think Luna told her about her past. It must have been really, really bad, because Rainbow said she flew away. She couldn't catch her!"

She was genuinely stunned. "Someone outran Rainbow Dash? I can't believe it. Well, I'll give it my best effort and call you back."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

After hanging up, Rarity used her magic to grab her coat and scarf off the hook. A cold knot had formed in her stomach. "Fuyu doesn't run away. I wonder what Luna told her." Once bundled up, she finally took a sip of cocoa and braced herself to head outside. "Opal, mommy will be right back." The white cat on her bed paid no attention. "I love you too. Good grief."

Despite being dressed for it, the cold still smacked the sense out of her as she left the boutique. Any time she tried to look up, her eyes were pelted with snowflakes until she dropped her head and rubbed them away. "My word, I need a pair of goggles!" She kept trying, huddling under the oak tree near her SUV and peering out. "This is ridiculous. I'll never see..." A dot of black punched through the cloud deck, moving at such a speed that she could hardly turn her head fast enough to track it. It was heading in the general direction of the woods. "Oh!" She reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone. "Twilight! I think I saw her!"

"Great! Is she all right?"

"Well, she didn't actually  _land_ , per se; in fact she was moving at a frightening speed, so I don't really know how she's doing," she replied, a bit flustered. "It looked like she was heading toward the woods. I'm going to send Fluttershy after her and drive that way myself."

"Okay. Keep me informed."

"Certainly." Rarity hung up and speed-dialed the shy woman. "Darling, I hate to ask this of you but it's something of an emergency."

Fluttershy had been watching the snowfall from her couch, but looked away as the dressmaker spoke. "Rarity? What's wrong?"

"It's Fuyu, she's flown back to Ponyville. Twilight fears she might be in some distress after hearing about her past from Princess Luna."

She raised up on the sofa and blinked. "Oh, my. Is she okay? Where did she go?"

"Heading your way, dear. Would you please go out and see if you see her anywhere?"

"Sure." She darted over and jammed her feet into the heavy boots by the door before going outside. "When did it get s-s-so windy?" Forced out from under the safety of the branches, she shivered against the blizzard but diligently searched the sky. "I don't see her..."

Rarity was already getting in her car. "It might take her a moment to get there, but she was traveling  _quite_  fast."

"Right. I'll keep loo—oh!" Fluttershy detected a black shape through the snow, dropping down and into the trees some distance beyond her backyard. It had very visible black wings. "Fuyu! Fuyu! I see her, she went into the woods!"

"Wonderful! I'm off to grab Pinkie and we'll be on our way."

"Okay. I'll go after her. Please be careful." She went back inside to don a coat, then began trundling through the snow toward where she had seen Fuyu land. The pack was dry and soft, causing her to sink in with every step. Her pace was agonizing, and only got slower as she entered the woods. "Fuyu! Where did you go?" The snow was knocking dead leaves from the branches above, resulting in a mottled rain of all sorts of airborne objects that made seeing difficult. "Fuyu! H-hello? It's me! Please come back!"

Fifteen minutes of hard trekking left her so far in the trees she could no longer see her cottage, but Fluttershy still had no Fuyu to show for her efforts. Scared and freezing, she was about to call Rarity for help when a strange noise grabbed her attention. "F-Fuyu?" she whimpered meekly, hugging her chest. Another noise followed, this one clearly a scream and certainly the pale woman's voice, but it was so full of rage that the shy woman moved to a tree and sheltered there, refusing to move any closer. Only then did she realize the forest around her seemed very familiar.

Fluttershy fumbled for her phone to call for help. "W-why did she come to the cloning pool?" she asked herself, still trembling with fright.


	13. Winter Contingency

"I don't know what possessed me to let you in my car." Rarity tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the weather got worse. The snow was blowing so fiercely that the wipers could hardly keep her view clear.

Trixie, sitting in the second row of seats right behind her, waved a hand dismissively. "I'll keep trying to raise Fuyu," she said, eyes locked on the dressmaker's phone in her hands. "Nothing. If she's got her phone, she isn't answering."

"Keep trying." She glanced around through the windshield at the flying snow and growled. "Only a  _dusting_  of snow. I swear, Sweetie Belle is better at predicting weather than the lunatic on the news."

A happy noise drew everyone's attention. "Your parents have Apple Bloom," Trixie advised, reading the text message.

"Good." Rarity nodded and sighed. She then motioned for Pinkie, riding in the front passenger seat, to raise her phone closer. "Fluttershy, are you still with us, darling?"

"Yeah, you still there?" The baker was, by now, just trying to keep the shy woman company. "We're coming! Get under a tree!"

"The snow's knocked off all their leaves! I'm s-so cold..." A faint noise came through over the connection. "Wh-what was that? Did something just fall over?"

"For all we know, Fuyu could be chopping down the forest." Rarity squinted into the writhing white ahead and prayed that she wouldn't blindside anything. "Are you sure you heard her scream?"

"Y-yes. I've never heard her sound so angry!"

"Fufu doesn't even have to be mad to sound mad, I can't imagine what she sounds like when she  _is_  mad," Pinkie said, tense with worry. Her eyes drifted back to Trixie. "Anything?"

The magician glared at the phone, settled back against her seat and sighed. "No. I give up."

Rarity's knuckles turned white as they left town and got on the curvy road that went into the woods. "Forget it. Darling, I have to concentrate on driving. Go to the pool entrance and we'll meet you there."

"Okay...please hurry." Fluttershy tucked her phone away and crouch-walked from tree to tree, ears pricked for any more frightening noises. A few moments of moving brought her to within sight of the boulder that covered the cave – except she found it laying in twain, split right down the middle as if cut by a knife. Terrified, she took up a position under a nearby pine tree and huddled against the wind.

* * *

Inside the cave, Fuyu paced around the edge of the mirror pool, panting with emotion. The tears she'd cried on her way from Canterlot had frozen solid and were only now beginning to melt and run down her cheeks.

"I'm worse than a monster. I'm a machine," she lamented, loosely clutching the sides of her head. "Only built to destroy. I have no other reason to be." Every time she caught her reflection in the glowing water, it made her growl. "I can't even remember the first time I acted human. I..." It suddenly occurred to her to move to the edge of the pool and stare down. The various bloodstains from her meals dotted the floor around her like a crimson constellation. "Twilight said the clones have a distilled copy of the original's personality, didn't she?" Her arms dropped weakly to her sides. "Maybe I could get a glimpse of  _something_ from before." She darted through her thoughts to recall the incantation. "Into her own reflection she stared..."

_This is a bad idea._

"Yearning for one who's reflection she shared..."

 _This is the_ worst _idea_.

"And solemnly swore not to be scared..."

_There's still time to stop._

"At the prospect of being doubly there."

_I am not ready to know._

She backed up as the pool flashed and rippled, sight glued to the vague form that coalesced at its bottom. It floated to the top and grabbed on to the edge, pulling itself up, over, and walking a step away. The two Fuyus gazed at each other for ages before the original addressed her clone. "What is your name?"

Her double sounded like a robot. "I do not know."

Grimacing at the reminder of how she used to speak, Fuyu pressed on. "What do you like?"

Her reply was a carbon copy of the first. "I do not know."

"What  _do_  you know?!" Fuyu demanded, hands clenching. The clone didn't shrink back or flinch or move, only stare. "Do something! Say something!" Her clone did neither, looking on with empty blue eyes as the original stormed around and became increasingly agitated. Too much silence finally set her off. She grabbed the clone by the back of her head and dragged her toward the nearest wall. "I will  _make_  you speak," she hissed, slamming her head into the stone.

It failed. The clone's skull audibly cracked, but she let out no wail of pain. Red liquid soaked Fuyu's hand on its way down her neck, but the clone didn't cry for mercy. The right side of her face was a mangled, bloody mess, with a destroyed jaw and cheek and teeth sticking through her upper lip, but she didn't offer any complaints. All she did was stare at her assaulter with the eye she had left, as if waiting for a command. Stung viciously by the blankness of that look, Fuyu shrieked with rage and drove her clone's head into the gray granite again. Such force was applied that the clone's skull pancaked until Fuyu smashed her brain flat with the palm of her hand. After letting go, the clone fell in a crumpled heap, bent backwards and partially decapitated.

She felt sick to her stomach. The broken corpse before her was as fragile as any regular human. Its blood was purely red, unmarred by flecks of black. She saw herself without her power, without the gifts of the Princesses, and what met her sight was a worse than anything she could picture. "I'm not a machine. I'm a..." She looked down at her bloody hand and over at the clone. "I'm just an unused tool."

_Simply a means...to an end._

"No," she wailed, stumbling around aimlessly. "No, no, no, no..." Just like her clone, she crumpled in a heap to the floor and screamed into the rock. "No! No!" Overcome with frustration, she began to slam her head against it. It only bounced off each time, leaving a few quickly-healing cuts behind.

The pale woman's explosion was so loud and furious that it reached Fluttershy's ears outside and caused her to whimper with fear. Through the snow and tears she could see amorphous blobs approaching from the swamp, shapes which soon turned into Rarity, Pinkie, and Trixie. She waved rapidly to get their attention.

"What in the world?" the dressmaker asked, able to hear the noises and screaming as they all drew closer.

"Holy moley, she sounds mad. And sad." Pinkie began to fidget. If her hair weren't already matted down by the snow, it would have became even flatter.

Trixie crouched down next to the shy woman, offering her stage hat. Fluttershy, bitterly cold, accepted it and put it on without much urging. "Did you talk to her at all?"

"No, she was already down there when I showed up." They listened, awestruck and horrified, as Fuyu continued to shriek. "I-I'm scared."

The magician grinned to herself and broke away from them, trudging through the snow toward the shattered boulder. "All right, then. I'd better go see what she's throwing a fit about."

Rarity was the one to object, throwing her hands up and yelling, "Are you insane?! She sounds fit to be tied! Fit to murder! She might end up killing you!"

All she got was a nonchalant shrug – Trixie didn't even bother to turn around. "So what? Nobody cares if I die. I'll wave you three in if I still have arms."

They all watched the magician trudge through the snow for a few seconds before Pinkie let out an unhappy noise and dashed over. "No! Fuyu needs us! We all have to go!" She bared teeth at the non-committal looks Fluttershy and Rarity wore. "Are you serious?! What are you so afraid of?"

"What do you think?" Rarity shot back, lips pursed. "We've always been fearful of Fuyu." The image of her throwing the scissors in the boutique that day came rushing back. It forced her to stare at the ground. "Some of us more outwardly than others."

Fuyu's screeching penetrated the subsequent silence. They all turned their heads to look at the cave. "I get it. She can be super scary. But I  _know_  she would never hurt us. Think about it! She's got all that power and she only uses it to fly around and make coffee!" Grinning at her quip, she turned back to her friends. Neither of them were smiling. " _Pleeeeeeeeeease_. We finally get to help her for once. Don't be afraid!"

Fluttershy looked between Rarity, who had her arms folded and continued to stare at her boots, and Pinkie, who was begging with her eyes despite not being seen. She moved over to the baker and stood alongside. "Pinkie is right. We said we'd be her friends. This is what friends do, no matter how scary it might be."

"Rarity, come on!" Pinkie called. They collectively winced at a shrill shriek from the cave. "Before she figures out some way to hurt herself!"

At last she relented and strode forward. Her face was marred with something close to shame. "You're right. It's time we fulfilled our end of the bargain."

Trixie lead the way, but her steps got a little less sure as they approached the cave mouth. "Can't say I'm not a bit nervous, though."

The shy woman cut in front of them all and entered the cave. "It's okay to be scared." They winced again at another scream; it bounced off the stone and repeatedly assaulted their ears. "Oh my..." Their focus shifted from worry to finding some way down the ramp in the dim light. All the noises stopped – the screaming, the crying, the rhythmic thud noise that they couldn't identify all ceased. "Fuyu? We're here!" Just as soon as she had enough light, Pinkie dashed ahead.

"Fufu!" She found her on hands and knees, her head hovering over a spider web of cracks in the stone. Something dark traced paths down her forehead as she looked up. "You're bleeding!"

"Finally." Fuyu let the baker help her up as the rest of them came over. Her demeanor was beyond weary. Seeing her in such a state quickly became more unsettling than hearing her banshee cries.

Rarity approached next and bent over. "Darling, what happened?"

Now that she was silent, Fuyu discovered how hard it was to make herself speak again. "I can't explain." Pinkie clamped on so tightly she could no longer slump over. "I'm...nothing."

Fluttershy and Trixie exchanged a worried glance. "You're not nothing," the shy woman assured. "What happened? What did Luna say?"

By now, her mental burden had become so heavy that she was allowing Pinkie to hold her up. "I can't."

"Fufu, you're scaring me even worse than when you were yelling just now!" Very gently, she started guiding her over toward the ramp. "Come on, let's get-" She fell silent as her eyes finally passed by the dead clone against the wall.

"What?" Rarity looked and slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh no." Fluttershy could only squeak and turn away.

Trixie, despite being blanched and queasy, was the only one brave enough to approach it. "What in the hell? Why does this body look so much like you?"

Pinkie took up explaining as she tore her eyes away from the corpse and got moving again. "Um, this is a magical cloning pool. I used it one time to be everywhere at once! Except it didn't work out so great..."

She scratched her head and blinked. "You know what? I'll leave my amazement about that for later. Let's just get out of here."

Fuyu moved like an old woman, shuffling weakly across the stone. Pinkie and Rarity, being the tallest, got under her shoulders to keep her upright as they scaled the ramp. Progress slowed even further once they were out in the snow. Nobody knew what to say for the longest time, so they cloaked themselves in awkward silence and tried to stay warm.

"What did the Princess tell you?" Fluttershy asked, just as they started negotiating the half-frozen swamp.

The conversation only got heavier each time it was brought up. Fuyu emitted a wobbly sigh and stared straight ahead as they moved; her demeanor was so negative that no one attempted to ask again. They finally got her to the silver SUV and all piled in, the pale woman between Pinkie and Fluttershy in the back.

"Trixie, my phone, please." Rarity set it to speaker and dialed a number just as soon as she got it back. "Twilight? We've found Fuyu but she's...not exactly feeling talkative."

"That isn't even my name," she interjected, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What do you mean it's not your name?" Twilight asked. "Please, what in the world did Luna tell you? Why was she arguing with Celestia?"

"It's...too much." Even that answer was a struggle. To see such blatant suffering on anyone's face would have been uncomfortable, but to see Fuyu crippled by it was much worse. Her eyes were hollow and icy, her demeanor withered. She fell against Pinkie's side and remained there, staring through everything.

Rarity, frowning deeply, decided to give the pale woman a way out of the interrogation. "I don't think she has enough in her right now to talk."

"But..." A couple of seconds went by before Twilight relented. "Okay. I'm going to try and make one of the Princesses tell me. Fuyu, listen, you don't have to fly back if you don't want, we'll-"

Fuyu curled into a loose ball and looked even more unhappy. "I don't want to."

"Wow, you really sound awful. Um...go home, okay? Try and rest. I'm sure someone will stay with you if you want. And don't worry, we'll handle things up here."

She hung up, allowing the cabin to fill with awkward silence again. Pinkie was dousing Fuyu with a shower of one-armed hugs that had no effect. Fluttershy fidgeted, but never took her eyes off her friend. Trixie did the opposite, staring out the window at the forest and feeling deeply out of place.

"So, off to the library?" Rarity started the car, having already assumed the answer.

"No."

Everyone looked over at Fuyu. "No?" Pinkie blinked. "We'll go wherever! Just say the word!"

"You're in charge, darling," Rarity affirmed, looking back over her shoulder.

Those turquoise orbs lit up with something that wasn't quite liveliness as she straightened up. "I want to go to the farmhouse."

"B-but there's nobody there," Fluttershy pointed out. Her face dropped when Fuyu nodded.

"I want to go back to where it all began."

"I certainly do not like the sound of that." Rarity's worry was met by an unrelenting stare. She cracked fast. "All right, but we aren't leaving you by yourself. Not like this."

Their presence was beyond her concern now. "I know."

What should have been a thirty minute drive took over forty five due to the slippery nature of the roads. The snow stopped driving down, reducing itself over time to a gentle cloud of fat, wafting flakes. As they went, conversation bounced around between the four women still able to speak, but Fuyu heard none of it. She was lost in her planning. Only when she saw the smeared-white scar the tornado had left through the orchard did she perk up and seem to be interested again.

Pinkie was the first to sense this and seized on it immediately. "I guess this  _was_  where it all started, huh?"

Fuyu seemed to be growing happier. A smile even appeared on her face, but the way it sat there was off. Everyone else was too relieved to notice. "Yes. There's something here I need."

Rarity steered the vehicle to a stop by the farmhouse and blinked. "Hmm? What?"

She didn't get an answer. Pinkie got out to allow Fuyu passage. As she exited, so did the rest. They trailed behind, watching her shamble through the snow and up the steps. An audible grumble slipped out when she discovered the front door was locked. "Hmm." She placed her palm upon the face of the knob and used the black goo to defeat the mechanism. The moment she entered the living room, her eyes drifted to the mantlepiece – and then the shotgun mounted above it.

"What are we looking for?" Trixie asked. They all looked for an item to register as out of place, a thing or things left behind by the pale woman for use in the future. None of them had any idea what it, or them, might look like.

Fluttershy was confused enough to vocalize it. "Did you leave something here?" Only when Fuyu moved toward the fireplace did pieces fall into place. "Um..."

She used her magic to gently lift the shotgun from its mounting and into her waiting hands. "This should work," she murmured, cradling it like a child.

"For what?!" Pinkie exploded, rushing over. "Fufu! No!" Her arms flew around in circles as Fuyu held her back with magic. "Put that down this instant!"

Rarity was no less concerned, although she kept something of a distance. She also moved between the pale woman and Fluttershy. "Fuyu, no, darling, this is not necessary. Put down the gun. Please."

"Talk to us!" Fluttershy begged, hands on her head and knees trembling. "Don't do this!"

Fuyu lacked any outward emotion. She looked just as she always had, half-bored and contemplative. Her eyes met Trixie's. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

The magician folded her arms. "What did the Princesses do to you?" she asked, hoping to prod a conversation.

"They..." Once again, it was too much to think about. She dashed out the front door, Pinkie in hot pursuit as soon as the magic holding her had worn off.

"Great job," Rarity hissed, moving quickly after them. "We don't need your speculation making things worse."

Trixie fell in behind Fluttershy. "It's not speculation. There are a few things I know that you don't."

The dressmaker stumbled with surprise. "Wh-what?" The sight of Pinkie and Fuyu escaping spurred her back up to speed. "We do not have time for this right now!"

Fuyu lead them all deep into the orchard. Pinkie, yelling barely-coherent sentences at the top of her lungs, was not far behind. The rest lost sight of them until Fuyu came to a stop in the middle of the bare scar left by the tornado, on top of a hill. She was looking out toward the highway.

"Applejack told me to get this if I needed it. It better be loaded." Pinkie lunged at her, grabbing both her wrists. "Let me go."

Tears flowed from her blue eyes. Her hair couldn't have been any flatter if she'd just gotten out of the shower. "No! This isn't the answer! I know! Trust me!" Fuyu dislodged her grip and knocked her back, causing her to fall on her rear. "Fufu! No!"

Everyone else arrived just as she put the muzzle to her throat. Rarity and Trixie both used their power to try and take the gun, but the pale woman's black magic was too strong. She knocked them down as well, glaring Fluttershy still as she tried to walk closer. She slipped a finger onto the trigger and squeezed. In an instant her head was vaporized, becoming a hailstorm of black and red and pinkish-gray bits that flew up and fell around her body as it dropped to the snow. A circle of the white fluff became mottled pink.

Pinkie was the only one of the four that didn't look away in time. She stared at where Fuyu had been standing a moment before, blank-faced. The others scrambled to their feet, but she remained sitting and staring.

"Oh my..." Rarity groaned, trying to shake the noise out of her brain. Looking at the headless body made her wretch. "Fuyu..." Suddenly, Pinkie howled with grief and fell over, curling up on her side. Not knowing what else to do, they all moved over. "Darling, don't...don't cry..."

While they tried to stop the baker from weeping, behind them the bits of skull and brain and muscle were being gathered by tendrils of the black goo, which had sprouted from Fuyu's neck. Like hundreds of leaves of a living plant they felt around in the snow for her pieces and brought them back, holding them in place for reassembly. Fluttershy was the first to notice this process and shrieked. Horrified, they watched as Fuyu's head reformed over several minutes. Her eyes were the last thing to be restored; once she had them again, she glanced around and rubbed her cheek. "That hurt." She glared at the shotgun near her feet and kicked it angrily away. "I can't even die!"

"What the fuck," Trixie breathed. Fluttershy and Rarity both fainted, but Pinkie scrambled over on hands and knees and hugged her friend.

"You're alive!" she sniffled.

At her wit's end, Fuyu hugged back and broke down again. "I just want to die. I just want to-" She grunted as the baker punched her, full force, in the stomach.

"How dare you!" was all she could add before hugging again. "You wanna take the easy way out instead of talking to us? I'm so mad at you right now I could..."

Since her way failed, she finally tried Pinkie's instead. "Celestia and Luna created me. They made me to kill Twilight. That's why I'm so powerful...why I knew her name. I'm just a weapon," she explained, muffled by Pinkie's hair.

The baker gasped and pulled back to look at Fuyu's face. "Created you, but..." There was too much to process; she shook her head and squeaked. "How did they do that? Why would they wanna kill Twilight?! She'd never hurt anybody!"

"Because she's even stronger than I am. They're afraid of her...Celestia, mostly." She looked down at the baker's jacket. "I got you bloody again."

"Oh, that'll wash out." Pinkie smiled and peeked back over her shoulder at Trixie, whose shocked expression said that she'd also heard the truth. "This is  _the craziest_  thing ever."

The magician nodded rapidly. "No kidding." All three cast their eyes skyward as the snow began to fall harder. "We'd better wake up the sleepyheads and get somewhere warmer."

* * *

Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were seated on one of the fine mulberry couches that dotted the corridor near Princess Celestia's office, each trying to pass the time. Rainbow was visibly bored, but the other two were waiting on an update from Rarity.

"I'm sure she's fine," the athlete blurted out. "You know how she is."

"She sounded pretty bad," Applejack countered. "Tired. Kinda...broken." She drooped a little. "Still can't figure out what coulda been so bad ta make her act like that."

Twilight glared at the door. "I'm getting tired of waiting to find out." They all looked as her stomach began to growl. "Great idea to skip breakfast. I'm such an idiot sometimes."

"Y'all were probably too nervous ta keep anything down anyway." She gave the librarian a pat on the shoulder. "Bit peckish myself, though."

Rainbow folded her arms and became adorably grumpy. "Yeah, me too. There has to be somewhere around here we can eat."

Twilight rubbed her chin lightly. "There's a galley for the employees on this floor..." Rainbow suddenly got up and started to run off. "Wait! You don't even know where it is!"

"I'll find it," she said, winking. "Be right back!"

Applejack chuckled lowly as she watched her girlfriend go. "Pff. Girl just can't sit still for more than a minute or two." When Twilight remained silent, she glanced over. "What's up?"

"The Princess said I can transmute matter." She rubbed at her eyes and groaned. "I don't remember doing  _anything_  like that, but she said it happened during my initial magic test. I was nine years old!"

"Dang, y'all started early, huh?" The blonde shrunk under Twilight's unhappy look. "All right, all right, serious time. She's kept that from ya for this long?"

"Yes. Now I'm wondering what else she's hiding from me."

Applejack laughed again, although this time nervously. "Uh...well..." Twilight's phone rang and spared her from an awkward silence.

The picture on the screen was not the one the librarian was expecting. "Pinkie? Let me put you on speaker. What happened to Rarity?"

"Nothing! Um, sooooo, I have good news and bad news! Or actually kind of just bad news and worse news."

Twilight stood up and tried to calm her nerves. "What happened?"

"Er, uh...Fufu got so stressed out and sad and stuff that she tried to kill herself. She's okay though! I think. Pretty sure."

" _What_?!" they both yelled.

"Yeah! Not good. We're back at the library now. It gets worse!"

Twilight, growling with anger, cut her off. "Oh, I have had it with this! Is Rarity with you?"

"Yeah! So is Fluttershy and Trixie, but there's something else I need to-"

"Good. Stay with Fuyu. I'm putting an end to the whole thing right now." She was already storming toward the door with Applejack in tow.

"But but but but wait!"

Twilight hung up and shoved her phone into her bag. "I'm so mad I could punch somebody!"

"I can tell. Y'all sure ya don't wanna take a deep breath or something before ya go bargin' in?" The blonde watched her do just that and sighed. "Never mind, I guess..." Luna and Celestia looked up from the seats in front of the desk.

"Twilight, what are you-" The elder Princess blinked as her student raised a hand for silence, then pointed a finger at her sister.

"What did you tell Fuyu?" she demanded, voice dripping with venom.

"I suppose it's time," Luna sighed, preparing herself to spill the beans all over again. Celestia shook her head. "No?"

"You did everything else. I'll do this." She cleared her throat and looked Twilight dead in the eye. "Luna told Fuyu about her origins. I skirted the truth when I spoke to you earlier; we created her from scratch for a specific purpose. We gave her the black goo. The amulet was ours."

"Creat—created her?" Text from the book of banned magic she read so many weeks ago flooded her mind. "H-how? What method?  _Why_?"

Celestia affored Applejack a brief glance – she looked bitterly uncomfortable, but was unwilling to leave Twilight's side. "One answer at a time. We used the clay golem method, which I'm sure you've read about."

"A lifeless hunk of muddy silt that we forged into a living machine," Luna added, placing her elbows on her knees as she hunched over. "Transmuted into flesh from earth."

Celestia nodded slowly. "With all the durability and strength of rock." Her face was marked with concern as Twilight, wobbly, braced herself against the desk. "You know the how, now here's the why. She was meant to be a vessel for Luna's soul in case her illness finally won, but..."

Luna, still looking at her sneakers, scowled. "Don't you dare leave out the real reason, sister."

A hand upraised assured her. "I won't. Her original purpose was as a weapon..." she paused to breathe before her heart could tear itself from her chest, "A weapon meant to kill you, my faithful student, in case your power drove you mad."

Twilight had checked out past the words 'kill you', her face dropping into a blank mask. Expecting some sort of emotional cataclysm, an unsteady Applejack moved over next to her, although she had no words to offer.

"Twilight?" Celestia prodded gently, doing her best to look composed.

"You said you loved me like a daughter," she finally murmured, her left eye twitching.

"And I do! I was only ensuring the safety of—Twilight, wait!" They watched her dash out of the room blindly, slamming into the door frame before getting past it and out into the hall. "Come back!"

Applejack gave chase, but Luna prevented her sister from going after them. "No. Let a face she doesn't despise talk her down."

Celestia struggled against her deceptively powerful grip. "Let me by! I have to make her understand!"

Luna could only shake her head. "I don't think she'll be made to do  _anything_  at the moment, sister."

* * *

Twilight stumbled around one more corner before Applejack finally caught up. She collapsed to her knees and slumped against the wall, shedding silent tears.

The blonde dropped down and loosely embraced her. "Twilight! Sugarcube, I dunno what ta..." Her voice failed as she registered that muted weeping. "I dunno what ta say..."

"Fourteen years," Twilight muttered unblinkingly. "Fourteen years of treating me like the most special girl in the whole world. Telling me how wonderful I was...how much she cared for me. My brother. My parents. Was  _any_  of it true?"

"Now, hold on. I'm sure she loves ya all the same, but...well, ah..." She scratched under her hat as if hoping to find a good explanation buried in her hair. "J-just try to calm down, okay? Breathe."

Twilight loosed a guttural noise and tried to push Applejack away. "Oh, sure. She fucking  _adores_  me so much, she broke the most sacred law in magic regulation to build someone for the express purpose of murdering me! I can't even begin to fathom how she looked me in the eye all that time while she was holding a knife behind her back to stab me with!"

Applejack held fast as she began to sob. "It probably ain't that simple, Twi!"

"I was so terrified of disappointing her! I just wanted to make her proud of me, to get stronger, to get  _better_..." She crumpled into the blonde's hug and shattered. "The Princess was going to put me down if I...what? Had a bad day? Got too frustrated? If I was  _tardy_?!" An idea ran across her mind that made her teeth gnash. "No, if I got too strong...that's why she did it, isn't it? She was jealous!"

The blonde did not like where this train of thought was headed. "Whoa! Ya ain't thinkin' clearly, Twilight. Celestia ain't never been jealous of nobody, far as I can tell!"

"Uh huh. Fuyu's existence says otherwise." Twilight tugged at her hair and whined. "No...wait...she said about the safety of someone, didn't she?"

"I think so, yeah." Applejack tried to urge her to her feet, succeeding after a few seconds. "Come on. Let's go back ta the hotel and...I dunno. I'm kinda at a loss for words here."

"Safety,' Twilight repeated lowly. "Safety of who? Was she afraid of me?" That concept drew out a new burst of anger. "Why would she be afraid of me?! I would never hurt anyone! Except Trixie, but Trixie's a bitch!"

Applejack laughed weakly, desperate to not seem nervous. "Right. Uh, let's just get outta here and relax and calm down."

Rainbow was hovering down the hall, approaching them with a hamburger in hand. She quickly swallowed the remainder and flew over. "Geez, what did I miss  _now_?" she complained. "Twilight? What happened?"

She hardly even noticed the athlete was there. "She was so afraid of me she made Fuyu...Fuyu killed all those people be-because of me! I..."

"Crap." Applejack picked Twilight up and began to carry her. "I don't know what ta tell ya, RD. 'Sides that this is the insanest thing we ever got wrapped up in." They looked at the librarian as she went to muttering incoherently. "Maybe we oughta have her sedated or something..."

The hair on the back of Rainbow's neck was standing up. "Can I get the short version?"

"Well, uh, the Princesses made Fu from clay ta kill Twilight in case she snapped, I guess. I can't really get my head around it." She looked down at Twilight, babbling in her arms. "Maybe we oughta take her home."

Rainbow waved her hand in front of the librarian's face to no avail. "Yeah. I think we should."

"You don't understand," Twilight moaned to no one in particular. "Th-there were times I didn't see my parents for months...she became my mom...it's my fault all those people died!" Her thoughts fought for precedence, only to end up flying from her mouth simultaneously. "Why would she be afraid? Why did she make Fuyu do all those things?"

"Twi, shhh. Just calm down." Applejack moved down a set of stairs and found double doors that lead into another part of the garden. "Phew, all right. Hang on, we're gonna get ya outta here."

Rainbow shed her hoodie and laid it over Twilight to protect her from the falling snow. Five minutes of walking and listening to her half-constructed sentences only served to get them lost. "Hold on, I'll fly up and see where we are."

Applejack nodded as she launched herself into the air. "Man. I can't believe Celestia would do something like this." Twilight began to struggle and grunt. "Whoa! Twi! Easy!"

"Let me  _down_!" she demanded, almost falling out of the blonde's arms. "My entire childhood is a lie! She never loved me! She just wanted to control me! And if I didn't listen, she was going to have me  _killed_!"

Almost as stressed now, Applejack took off her hat and held it tightly. "I'm sure it ain't like that! The Princess just...she just..."

"No. Stop trying to make excuses for her. She...I...how many people's deaths am I responsible for?" Her legs gave out again. "And Fuyu...she suffered so much worse than I did..."

"Them people dyin' ain't your fault!" The words were lost on Twilight, but Applejack felt obligated to say them.

Rainbow swooped back down to help the librarian stand. "Hey, you all right?" She wouldn't take her hand. "...hello?"

Twilight was shaking violently, emitting a sound comprised of sobbing and mumbling. Abruptly, she fell still and looked up with her eyes closed. "Nothing is...I...can't..." They shot open, glowing white.

"What the..." Applejack pulled Rainbow back to her side. "Twilight! What's going on?"

Her words were twisted into an ear-rattling stereo, as if there were more than one mouth speaking. "If Celestia fears me..." Trailing off, she levitated above the ground and hovered. A pair of lavender wings unfurled from her back. "Then I will give her something to be  _afraid of_."

* * *

"I cannot  _believe_  what I am reading."

Rarity, Trixie and Spike all had some of the documents provided by Luna, poring over them in the library's public space. Pinkie was clamped onto Fuyu as the latter occupied a chair nearby. Fluttershy was right beside those two in another chair, still trying to deal with the day's events.

"I can't see anyone," Fuyu complained, poking the baker lightly.

It only made her hold tighter "Don't care! Hugging until you feel better!"

She glared through a forest of pink hair. "That isn't going to happen."

"Oh, really. We'll see about that. Nobody can resist a Pinkie hug forever."

"Damn her!" Spike growled, tossing the papers in his hand away. "How could she do this? Twilight might not be a saint, but she's no danger to anyone!"

"We all have our...regrettable moments," Rarity agreed, "but this is a gross overreaction! And the things Fuyu went through in the process!"

"That isn't my name," she reminded the dressmaker.

"I'd want to change my name too if I were associated with something like this." Trixie pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Thousands of lives just used up as if they meant nothing. I don't even know what to say."

"What should we call you?" Fluttershy asked, more willing to tackle smaller things at the moment. "If you have any preferences, I mean."

"I don't know." She caught her own lie and frowned. "No. I think...Winter is the closest thing I have to my own name. Let's call me that for now."

"Of course, darling." Rarity picked up her phone off the side table and swallowed hard. "I've no idea how I'm going to break this news to Twilight. The whole thing is, as Rainbow would say – and pardon my language – fucked  _all_  the way up."

"Maybe I should tell her." Winter stood up with Pinkie attached, but this time there was no giggling. "Please get off of me."

"No! Never!"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Don't be obstinate, Pinkamena. Let go."

The baker was full-on whining now. "She needs my hug powers!"

Spike's attention drifted from his companions to the TV during this exchange, where he saw that the programming had been broken into by a special news report. He turned up the volume and watched as the flying cameraman trained his lens on Canterlot Castle, a small portion of which had collaped and was smoking.. "Crap! Look!" Everyone turned to see what the fuss was about. Just as they did, Twilight appeared, darting through the air with wings they'd never seen before. "What happened?"

Pinkie finally let go to watch the TV. "Dashie! Applejack!" she gasped. "W-w-why is everything on fire?!"

Trixie folded her arms. "It's not on fire. Well, most of it isn't. Calm down."

Winter was the only one silent as they all gathered around the screen to listen. The anchorwoman said something about the scene being caused by an accidental explosion. As the report drew on, another familiar face appeared – Rainbow Dash, flying around like a madman in and out of the ruined castle.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy pointed. "But where's Applejack?"

Their answer came when Rarity's phone rang. "Hello?" she answered. "...Applejack! Darling, you're on the news! What is going on up there? Where are you?" she asked while putting the blonde on speaker.

"I'm in the gardens, and besides the castle goin' ta hell in a handbasket, there ain't much happenin' ta speak of! Listen, Celestia told Twilight about Fu. And I mean the whole story. She ain't handlin' it too kindly. Fu! Ya there?"

Winter stepped forward. "Yes, I'm here, but that's not my n—never mind. We can deal with it another time."

"That'd be fuckin' terrific! Listen, I know y'all are upset and all, but we need ya! Please! Twilight's done blown a serious fuckin' gasket!" A loud noise interrupted her. "Rainbow Dash, get your ass down here!"

"I'm on my way." Winter summoned her black wings and floated toward the door.

"No!" Spike yelled, tears in his eyes. "No! She's the only mom I've ever known!"

"Fu—Winter, please, don't do this," Rarity added, just as emotional. "Twilight is just stressed!"

The pale woman pointed at the TV as a retort. "I know. And that's what  _stressed_  means for her." Before she could open the door, Pinkie got in her way with arms spread wide.

"No! No fighting between friends!" she yelled angrily. Winter easily moved her aside. "No no no no! Stop!"

"Perhaps Twilight can do what the shotgun couldn't."

Her musing silenced everyone but Spike, who walked over and grabbed her by the hand. "You can't kill her. You hear me? You  _can't_. _"_

She gently made him release it and opened the door. A plaintive tone weighed down her next words. "Of course I can. It's what I was made for."


	14. Sunset

By the time Winter landed in the gardens, the clouds had broken and the sun was beginning to set. During her flight, the scene had stabilized. The castle was still belching mottled smoke, but no less of it had been standing than when she'd last seen it on the news. There was a military cordon around most of the area – one which she had ignored, or perhaps which had ignored her. All sorts of uniformed fliers plied the air but didn't try to stop her approach.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were literally the only ones inside that cordon and not inside the castle itself. They ran up to Winter as she dismissed her wings.

"It's all gone to hell!" the athlete greeted. "Listen, I know this looks really bad, but could you-"

Winter cut her off. "Not kill Twilight?"

Applejack nodded gravely. "Please. She's emotional right now is all." They looked back at the tower that had fallen down. "Shoot, Princess Celestia probably has everything under control right now. W-we can fix this." A rumbling noise reached their ears – apparently a little more of the structure collapsed. "And that. Whatever that was."

"I can't promise anything." She stalked off toward the nearest door, but only got a few steps before Rainbow whistled for her attention.

"Please, man. Twilight's our friend...and so are you. Try to talk her out of it or something, okay?"

"Again, I can't promise anything." Winter turned and moved away. A thought made her hesitate. "Before I go, I've changed my name to Winter. What you called me previously was something I stole from someone else. Now you know the correct thing to put on my grave."

"It ain't gonna come ta that!" Applejack insisted harshly. "This is all just a big ass temper tantrum!"

The pale woman issued a sad smile. "Hm. I thought this day would never come, either, but here we are."

Entering the castle, she found no severe damage to speak of, although some of the paintings had detached from the walls. A window or two was missing panes as well, but otherwise everything seemed to be in place. There was one thing missing, however: people. Any people. As she prowled the halls looking for Twilight, it became apparent that she and the librarian seemed to be the only ones still occupying the building. Upon wandering by the ballroom, however, her magical alarm went off. It felt like dozens of people all squished together in one spot. Confused, she opened the door and looked in.

At the other end of the long room was a small pile of random objects of all sorts. There were hammers and watermelons and alarm clocks and stuffed animals and shoes all clumped together in a corner, and yet many of these things were emitting the magical spark. Winter crept over to them and picked up a pomegranate. "You're not supposed to be this, are you?" she asked it, holding the thing to her ear as if listening for a voice. It didn't speak, but she felt something strange. Like the buildings she had changed back after Trixie's rampage in Ponyville, these altered objects had a confused aura about them. Unlike the buildings, however, that aura was accompanied by faint, voice-like whispers which grew and faded in volume with the vividness of their magical sparks. "Oh, you're telling me how to change you back." Gently, she set the fruit down and moved away. "I'm sorry. I can't help you right now. Maybe I can convince Twilight to undo what she's done."

For several minutes she wandered about, trying to detect the librarian's unique signature. Despite assuming she was still in the castle somewhere, that sensation was nowhere to be found. "Why can't I feel her any longer?" At that moment she was passing by the ornate throne room doors. She pushed them open to check the area and found Twilight, eyes glowing, seated on the throne. Near the base of the steps leading up to her were two multi-colored eggs. One was pastel green and blue and pink and white with gold accents; the other indigo and black and blue with silver accents. Winter blinked at the sight before fully entering. "Twilight? What are you doing?"

The librarian tapped her blue fingernails on the armrest in perfect rhythm. "I knew you would come." She waved her free hand at the eggs on the floor and flashed a cruel grin. "I heard from Pinkie that you tried to kill yourself. It got me so mad I...well, I made Celestia tell me the truth. You see what happened after that. I can't figure out what to do with them. If you're here for revenge, I certainly don't blame you."

Winter tilted her head. "I came for you, actually."

Twilight sighed and rose from her seat. "Oh, is that how this is going to go?"

She strode along the red carpet with fingers clenched. "Half of me is here to fulfill my purpose. The other half is hoping you're strong enough to give me my death."

"Really?" Twilight fell into a peal of darkly-shaded laughter. Her wings spread as she sauntered down the steps to meet her challenger. "Not even the Princesses can escape my transmutation ability. What makes you think you have a-" A pale fist slammed into her jaw, deforming her cheek as she stumbled back. Like Winter, however, her power healed the injury with alarming speed. "Well, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt until you broke my jaw. If you want to be put down so badly, Fuyu..."

"My name is Winter," she interjected, dropping into a ready stance. "Now shut up and fight me."

Twilight busted out laughing again. She snapped the fingers on her left hand and watched as Winter twisted and shrank into a decorative paperweight, then landed with a soft thud on the carpet. "No one on this planet can oppose me. That includes  _you_." The final word barely escaped her lips before the pale woman suddenly unfurled from the item and stood up again. "Wh-wh...how did you undo my spell?!"

Winter flung two ropes of black and wrapped them around Twilight's throat, yanking her over closer. The momentum carried her right into another ready fist, which shattered her nose for thirty seconds before her innate magic repaired the damage. "Is this what the power of Princesses does to people? You sound just like Trixie did." she asked, grabbing the librarian by the hair and driving a knee into her stomach.

"Let me  _go_!" Twilight used her augmented telekinesis to launch Winter away and into a column that cracked with the impact. "Fine. If you won't accept the mercy of becoming an object, I'll give you the death you seek!" Both hands lit up raspberry with the flames of her power. She cloaked the pale woman with magic and began to squeeze. "Enjoy eternity as a bloody paste!"

For the first time, Winter felt pain – genuine pain, as regular people knew it, burning and clouding her senses with agony. She could feel her bones beginning to crack as Twilight applied incredible force with her mind. A groan worked its way out before her throat was annihilated; the black goo simply couldn't keep up with the rate of injury she was experiencing. Slowly, her form became limp.

"That's it. Stop fighting. Let yourself go."

Before her eyes turned to jelly, the last thing she saw was the evil smile on Twilight's face, toothy and mocking.

_This isn't my friend._

Her skull shattered around her brain, filling it with shards of bone. Consciousness ran away, leaving a black ring that encroached on the edge of her mind and eventually swallowed it whole. She wanted to say goodbye but had no mouth to do so. Her entire body was becoming nothing but a jumbled mess of flesh.

_I can't even do the thing I was made for._

"Goodbye, Fuyu." Twilight squinted with concentration as she reached for the last bit of power needed to end her foe. She applied so much force that the black goo was now squirting from the pores of the pale woman's skin. After a moment she realized that her energy was sliding past the substance. "Wait...why can't I..." Growling, she focused her power against it instead of Winter. "Get off of her! Get off!" The magic soaked into it like a sponge. "No! Give it back!"

Like a conduit, the external gunk fed energy back into that which remained around Winter's spine and brain, trying to keep her alive. Her wounds began to heal as Twilight grew more concerned with trying to kill the goo instead of the woman who commanded it. In a minute her skeleton was fixed. In a minute more her muscles were reattached. In a third minute she could see again. The vision that greeted her was Twilight, snarling with rage.

"Die! Die!" she shrieked, emptying her magic into the goo, which continued to suck it up. That power, combined with what Winter already had, was like molten steel flowing through her veins. Every corner of her consciousness was lit by its blinding glow.

_What is happening to me?_

Once she had enough of her faculties back, she directed the goo outside her skin to reform itself. Her clothes fell away as the ebony wrapped itself around her arms and legs, forming a skintight suit that conformed to every crease and muscle in her body – even her individual fingers and toes. The process completed itself with a half-mask over her face that ended just below her nose. So clad, Twilight could no longer hold her. Winter sprouted wings to float herself back down to the floor.

" _How_?!" Twilight screamed, so hard her voice broke. Her eyes shone like the sun as she tried to latch on again. "Why can't I grip you?!"

She didn't reply, but her attire did. "We gave our lives for this armor," it said, speaking with a thousand voices that bounced all around the room. "All that remains of our former selves is the woman who bears our souls.  _We_  will die long before we allow her to."

"I can't even perish correctly," Winter whispered, dismissing her wings. While Twilight grunted and shrieked, trying to turn her into various objects, or pick her up and slam her into something, she walked closer. "Turn them back, Twilight. I don't want to hurt you."

The librarian would have none of it. "She lied to me! She wanted to murder me! She didn't mean anything she said!"

Every time Twilight unloaded magic on Winter, the armor soaked it up and added it to her own pool. "Did she tell you that herself?"

"She tried to lie to me again!" Twilight finally gave up and backed up a step. "Fuyu, listen to me. She made us suffer so much! Don't you want your vengeance?"

_We suffered?_

"How did  _we_  suffer?" Winter asked, an angry edge in her voice. Her brain was still tingling from the influx of magic; she was thinking in ways that were still unusual to her but somehow, suddenly, felt natural. "Explain. How did you suffer? Tell me."

Twilight continued to retreat in the face of the pale woman's inexorable approach. "Nothing she ever told me was true! She was secretly holding you over my head the whole time! She was going to kill me! She hated me!  _She hated me_!"

An influx of rage flooded Winter's thoughts, but it was not wholly her own. Much of it came from the black goo and mixed with her own growing bitterness. A hand lash out and grabbed Twilight by the collar, pulling her until they were literally nose to nose. "Hated you? Is that all? Is that what passes for anguish in your mind, you insufferable little brat?" she asked, backed by a veritable chorus of voices from her attire. Her fist slammed into Twilight's face again, but she only let go so the woman could fall to her knees. A foot to the chest put her on her back against the stone. "Thousands of people were crushed alive to give me this goo!" She straddled Twilight's chest and punched her in the nose again, so hard the granite began to yield under her skull. "Did you ever kill children? I did. I killed people that begged me for mercy. I killed people that did nothing wrong besides be in the same place as I was at the wrong time!"

Every statement, then every word, was punctuated with a vicious blow that pushed Twilight's head deeper into the rock. Despite her healing almost as fast as the punches fell, she couldn't get the pale woman off of her.

There was only anger in Winter's heart, and she vented it on the one being that could take her punishment. "Suffering is all I brought to anyone! Now you come whining to me about your so-called agony?" Repeated blows to the face sunk Twilight's skull until the tip of her nose was level with the floor. "What happened to all those nights in the library where you told me she was like your second mother? When you told me stories of the things she did for you? You call the love and adoration of someone else  _suffering_?!"

Winter raised her fist again and only then noticed that the librarian's eyes were closed, and that blood was pouring from her nostrils. She healed after a few moments, but the process was much slower than when her battering had begun.

"Please...I'm sorry," she sputtered, sounding like herself again. "I'm sorry..."

The pale woman was still overcome with the emotion supplied by her armor, but she stayed her hand. "Celestia told me I would do what needs to be done," she said, getting to her feet. Her mask slid away, leaving her face uncovered. "But I don't want to." She lifted Twilight with magic and set her on the carpet. "Please change them back."

She sat up and clutched at her head, trying to regain her senses. Her eyes were still glowing, but dimly – at least until she began thinking about her mentor. "I can't. They have to pay for what they did."

Teeth clenched, Winter prepared herself to fight again. Before she could get too ready, an idea appeared that stilled her mind. Her stance softened with melancholy. "I endured more than you did. Let me do it."

Breath hitching, the librarian stumbled to her feet and looked at the Princess eggs. "Yes. Of course." She changed Celestia back, stabilizing her with telekinesis until she could stand on her own.

Confused, she looked between Winter, her preternatural suit, and Twilight several times. "I see the superfluid worked. Is it...is it over?" she breathed, staring into her student's glowing eyes.

Twilight displayed another dark smirk. "For you, it is. Go on, Fuyu. Extract your pound of flesh."

"What are you talking about?" She looked down slightly as Winter stood before her. "What is going on here?"

She took both of the Princess' hands and spoke lowly. "I'm sorry, but I have no other choice." A subtle nod over her shoulder at Twilight followed.

The tears began to flow as she nodded in return. "I understand. Do...do what you think is necessary." The librarian growled; anticipating an attack, her hands lit up with raspberry flames again.

"Yes. What is necessary." Her right hand withdrew; she placed that arm to her chest, sprouted a blade of curved ebony from her palm, and whipped it across Celestia's throat.

Winter moved backward to stand with Twilight and watch. A surprised scream came out as a loud, long gurgle while Celestia tried to use her magic to seal the wound, but Twilight continuously interfered to keep her blood flowing. Streams of crimson flecked with gold stained her white dress, and within a minute she dropped to her knees and toppled over.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Twilight asked, hand outstretched as she kept her mentor's wound open.

Considering everything that had happened to her, a tiny bit of Winter's psyche  _was_  quite pleased with the situation. "A little bit," she admitted, her eyes never straying from Celestia's death throes.

"Just a little? Feels  _great_  to me." The librarian's hand fell to her side just after the Princess drew her last breath. Her corpse lay in the center of a large red puddle, which gleamed weakly with the evening light from the windows. Neither of them spoke or moved until Twilight abruptly loosed a wail of grief. Winter glanced over. No longer were her eyes glowing, nor did glorious lavender wings hang from her shoulders. She ran to her mentor and dropped onto her body, shrieking with horror. "This isn't what I wanted! This isn't what I wanted at all!"

Winter stepped forth as the librarian jostled Celestia, screaming repeatedly at her to get up. "It worked."

"Wh-why did you kill her?" she demanded, her white blouse soaked with blood. "Why didn't you kill me? You were supposed to kill me!" She went back to trying to rouse the Princess. "Please, please, please get up. Please, I'm so sorry. Please..."

She walked past them and up the steps, taking a seat on the golden throne. "I killed her to show you what you had."

"What does that even mean?!" Twilight screamed, flopping onto the floor and crawling to the steps. "She loved me! She didn't deserve to die!"

"That's why it worked. Anger caused you to lose control; regret gave it back. I killed her because I didn't  _want_  to kill you."

She had made it up a few steps before Winter's words delivered their full effect. She fell onto her stomach, sobbing with shame. "It's all my fault. It's my fault she died. I can't...I can't..."

"We all have our regrettable moments." Twilight's misery finally punched through and brought tears to Winter's eyes. She rose and move down to hug her. "Listen to me. I would have done anything to save you. You're my friend. I only have six."

"I wish you hadn't," she whimpered, clinging to the pale woman as hard as she could. "My heart hurts...so much..."

"Yes, I know. Think of how much more it would be hurting if I'd done nothing and allowed you to kill Celestia instead." A heavy sob from the librarian confirmed her suspicions. "Now you know why. My shoulders are used to bearing pain. Yours aren't."

Comparing her own reasons for having exploded against what Winter said was only making Twilight feel worse. She managed to squeeze even tighter. "I...you went through so much more than I have and you've never lost your temper like I did. I'm so...I'm so ashamed."

She starting patting the librarian on the head. "Do you know why you reacted so powerfully? Grief has never touched you. I could see that the first time we met. I had to let it touch you to save you, but I didn't want you to get crushed. Its full weight should be mine to hold, not yours." The Luna egg caught her sight and drew a sigh. "The damage may be done, but there are things you can still fix. Twilight, you have to change everyone back."

The librarian broke the hug so violently that she nearly toppled backwards down the stairs. "Oh no! How many other people did I hurt?!"

Winter's strong hands kept her from falling. "As far as I know? None. You left them all in a pile in the ballroom."

"R-right. I remember now. I didn't want anyone to...I just felt so betrayed. I wanted to make Celestia pay." She pointed a finger at the egg. "Come back. Oh, how am I  _ever_  going to explain this to her? Her sister's dead!"

"Let me endure her wrath." Winter moved to stand, but Twilight forced her down.

"No. No, no, stop. Damn it, stop. I dug this hole for myself, and  _I'm_  going to face the consequences." As Luna returned to her proper form, Twilight got to her feet and went to meet her. "Luna? Luna. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"What...?" The young Princess looked at the body for a long while before the image actually became meaningful. "Sister!" she yelped, dropping down beside Celestia. "No! Why? What happened?!" She looked up at Winter on the steps. "Were you not able to stop her in time?"

"Yes, that's exactly what happened. I killed her. Fuyu didn't get here quickly enough." Twilight closed her eyes and awaited Luna's wrath. "I know what the punishment is. Let's not put the nation through a trial." When nothing happened, she let them open again. "Um...Princess Luna?"

"You are an awful liar." Winter and Luna were staring each other down, but hatred found no place on the visage of either. "You did what you had to? Is that what you're going to say to me?"

The pale woman was as unrelenting as the bitter cold that penetrated the air. "To save my friend, yes. I did."

Twilight literally threw herself at Luna and began to beg. "No! No! Fuyu's been through enough! Let her go! It's my fault she killed Celestia! If anyone's going to get punished it should be me!" She hung off her shoulders like a cloak and wept bitterly. "Please...I have to...to pay for what I've done." The familiarity of those words stung her in the heart until she could barely stand.

Luna turned just as Twilight began to fall and held her up. The look on her face was utterly inexplicable. "Any punishment I could conceive would fall far short of the pain you're putting yourself through now," she said lowly. "Are you happy? You got what you wanted."

Twilight shook her head viciously. " _No_. I may never be happy again. I've done something so awful I..." Her throat clenched and she broke down in tears again.

Winter and Luna shared another odd look before the latter gave Twilight a brief hug and spoke. "Welcome to our world. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take my sister and...and..." Words failed; she ducked her head and skulked over to the corpse, lifting it into her arms with her magic. Twilight bowed deeply as the Princesses departed, showing respect the only way she knew how at that moment.

"Please forgive me," she whispered, unable to talk any louder. The following silence had a marked shift in undertone, but why remained a mystery to Twilight until Winter spoke again.

"Who am I supposed to ask for forgiveness?"

"Huh?" She looked back up at the pale woman and found her weeping again. "Fuyu..."

"My  _name_  is Winter," she said harshly. "All the people that died to make me who I am, the ones I destroyed to stay alive...where should I seek forgiveness for those? I don't know them. What am I supposed to do? Find out who their loved ones were and apologize?"

"Fu—Winter, no. Please don't hate yourself." Twilight's attempt to offer another hug was denied. "You've had the worst life ever, but you've handled it with such grace. I can't even fathom being in your shoes. You should be," she hesitated, fearing this was the wrong word, but went with it anyway, " _proud_."

Her fears seemed to be confirmed when she saw the hateful look in those icy eyes. But it quickly faded away, chased off by a sad smile. "You and the others have given me more misery than I could ever thrust upon you. Before I came to Ponyville, I didn't actually  _care_ about what I'd done. I'd burst into tears and then act like nothing happened. There was no connection." She raised a hand to stave off Twilight's regretful babbling. "No, wait. It's all right. You might have given me sadness, but you also gave me happiness."

"Yes." Twilight tried to smile as well, but couldn't. "But your past hurt you so badly that you tried to...you know. Why didn't you tell us you felt that way?"

"It only hit me after I spoke to Luna. The feeling was so sudden, I...I didn't think there was anything you all could do to help. Nobody knows what it's really like but me."

The librarian tackled Winter in an embrace. "Never think that way. You may be the only one of your kind, but you are  _not_  alone. We're here for you."

"Mm. As I said, we all have our regrettable moments." Winter picked up the smaller woman and made for the double doors. "Come on. There are people you need to save."

* * *

By the next morning, Winter and Twilight had repaired the damage to the castle and its occupants. The librarian had been released to the custody of her brother, who had arrived in the city overnight – by order of Luna, whom neither woman had seen since she carried her sister's body out of the throne room. Rainbow Dash and Applejack joined the siblings and the pale woman on a train back to Ponyville. It was the only place Twilight wanted to go.

Shining Armor poked at his little sister once they were seated. She had crawled into his lap and slumped against his chest. "You're getting a bit big for this, aren't you?" he joked. She looked up at him with hollow eyes. "I'm kidding. You don't have to move."

She groaned. "Good. I'm not going to."

"Mom and Dad said they were gonna meet us at the library. They're worried sick about you. I'm glad that old castle didn't get you hurt." His brow cocked at the strange looks Rainbow and Applejack – who also knew the truth – were tossing at each other. "Uh, you two all right?"

"Yeah," the athlete nodded. "Sure. No problems. Noooooo problems at all."

"Great. I'm glad you're all here with Twily. I've never seen her so upset. I wish Cadance were around, she could-" He looked down as Twilight choked back a sob. "Whoa! What's wrong?"

"This trip was supposed to be about Winter and I made it about myself. I'm the worst person ever," she droned, unable to look at anyone.

"Why? Not your fault the castle fell down." Unable able to figure out why his reassurances were making Twilight cry, he resorted to stroking her hair. "Now, now. It's fine. Everyone's okay. It's no big deal." He blinked when her crying got worse. "Am I missing something here?"

"Don't ask," Applejack said. "Just...don't ask. Please."

"Okay then. We'll save it for later." His attention finally went to Winter, seated across from him on the opposite bench and staring out the window. "Your Highness, I wanted to thank you for helping Twilight keep the rest of the castle stable. I have to admit, I was surprised to hear about another Princess, but Celestia sure seems to know how to pick them."

Her lips bent with faint disgust. "Yes, she certainly does."

"You should meet my wife sometime! Between you, Twily, and Cadance, we've got a little Adoptive Princesses club going!" Seeing that his cheerfulness had failed to break the ice, he frowned. "All right, look. I'm obviously lacking part of the story, but you girls don't have to feel like you need to hide anything from me. Twily's okay, everyone's fine, and that's all I care about." He pointed down at his uniform. "Trust me, being in the Army has made me used to not getting the whole picture."

Twilight hugged him, sighing with relief. "Thanks, big brother." She carefully slid off his lap and stood up. "All right, you three, we need to talk. Sorry. This is between us."

He waved and smiled. "Of course. I'll be right here if you need me."

The librarian lead the women to the other end of the empty train car, where they all huddled together on another set of benches. "This is driving me up the wall," she muttered angrily. "I hate myself. I'm going to hate myself until the end of time. Luna trying to cover everything up isn't helping me feel any better. I mean, did you  _see_  the headline in the Canterlot Times this morning?"

Winter nodded her agreement. "She might have concealed my existence, but hiding the death of a Princess is going to be impossible. I can't figure out what she's up to."

Applejack had been stowing some anger herself, and she let all of it go in one hissed rant. "I'm about fuckin' tired of bein' a part of a cover up that never seems ta fuckin' end," she said. "I coulda gotten killed. Rainbow coulda gotten killed. Apple Bloom...damn it. I can't even handle picturin' her hearin' about me dyin'. Fuck! If this shit keeps on happenin' I'm gonna slug Luna right in the mouth!"

Rainbow leaned back sarcastically and grinned. "And you say I cuss a lot?" The couple shared a wry smile. "In all seriousness, though, AJ's right. If there's more to this, then you guys have a right to know. We  _all_  do."

"Maybe not," Twilight whimpered, hunched over and hiding her face. "Celestia was right. I proved to be a danger to the whole world." She yelped when Applejack slapped her on the head.

Their eyes met just as the blonde was folding her arms. "Don't ya start. I ain't gonna listen to ya beat yourself up over this. If we all need ta take shifts so ya've got a shoulder ta cry on until ya feel better, fine. But I ain't gonna have  _any_  wallowin'."

"I'm not wallowing. I nearly killed Fu—Winter. If she had failed, where would we be right now?"

Imagining that was too heavy a weight for even all four of them to hold up. They sat quietly and listened to the rhythmic clack of the train wheels.

Rainbow, fidgeting under the silence, finally had to break it. "For what it's worth, I would have snapped too if one the people I loved the most said they had a plan to kill me."

Twilight, slumped over, offered a weak shrug. "Still doesn't justify what I did. I've changed the direction of the whole country."

"Y'all are awfully quiet over there," Applejack said, nudging Winter's shin with her boot. "Speak up. Ya have something ta say too, don'tcha?"

"What do you want to hear?" Her nerves were still raw from the interaction with her armor; it had left behind wisps of emotion that she took on as her own. One of these gifts was frustration. "I killed the Princess to save Twilight. When Luna decides what she wants to do with me, I will face those consequences." She rubbed at her eyes. "I don't know what else there is  _to_  say."

Rainbow waved her words aside. "Forget that. We wanna talk about before. Are  _you_  all right? Pinkie said you were trying to hurt yourself before you went to the orchard."

Despite all of the previous day's events, she quickly realized that nothing on her end had actually changed. She still felt as lost and unhappy as when Luna has confessed, but the rush of defeating Twilight blotted all that out. Decompression from the fighting brought her right back into the sullen muck, although it had lost some of its potency. "No. I still feel a lot like I did before coming back to Canterlot."

Twilight straightened and gave the pale woman a one-armed hug. "We'll work it out. Together."

Unconvinced, Winter shrugged away her embrace. "No. We won't. None of you will ever understand what's happened to me."

"Ain't no excuse ta keep it bottled up. Damn it, Fu, we're your friends. I know ya tend toward bein' quiet, but we're all here ta listen." Applejack waved her hat around to get the pale woman's attention before smiling. "We're in this together, ya hear me?"

Rainbow nodded and grinned. "Yeah. Even if the whole thing gives my headache a freaking headache."

Seeing that Winter was unwilling to address the subject any further, Twilight changed it. "Speaking of headaches, I wonder who's going to ascend the throne."

"It has to be Luna, right?" Something in the librarian's eyes made Rainbow question her own words. "You don't think so?"

"The throne of Equestria isn't subject to primogeniture. The ruling Princess leaves a last will and testament containing who she wishes to succeed her. It's weird, but that's how it's been done since the country was founded. She might name me as her successor. She could even name Winter."

Applejack blinked with disbelief. "Holy hell. Princess Twilight? Princess  _Fu_?"

Winter was growing annoyed with the blonde. "You do realize that's not my name, right?"

"Sure. But it's your nickname, and it's gonna be your nickname 'til the day I finally keel over." She gave a friendly wink and smile. "Best get used ta it."

That put a smile on Winter's face, but she couldn't figure out why. "Very well."

Twilight groaned and stood up. "Anyway, I'm tired of thinking about this. I just want to get home, see everybody, and try to sleep." Tears began to flow. "If I can ever sleep again."

* * *

Their train ride home consumed most of the day's light. By the time Twilight stumbled through the library door and into her mother's arms, the sun was again creeping below the horizon. Winter stayed well clear of the crowd, watching as the librarian's family closed ranks around her and disappeared into the living quarters. Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't stay long – the blonde wanted to go pick up her sister and see to the unoccupied orchard. Spike lingered, along with Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy, in the public space. The pale woman stayed there too, trying to allow Twilight as much space as possible.

It became clear very fast that the four of them had no idea how she had emerged victorious. "You are something else, darling," Rarity praised, swishing a bottle of water in her right hand as she lounged in one of the boxy chairs. "Have you seen the news? Nobody suffered a scratch. I don't even know why I was worried."

"Yeah! Fufu saves the day again!" Pinkie bounced in her own seat happily. "You okay, though? I mean, about the whole what-Luna-said thing."

Winter stared at the floorboards and shook her head. "Not really. I have a lot of regret over the people that died in my name."

Fluttershy raised her hand as if she were in school, only to squeak when everyone looked over. "Well, this may not help, but, um...most of them weren't your fault. A-actually, I don't believe any of them were. It's not like you wanted to hurt anyone. You had to. To survive."

"Small comfort," Winter replied, rubbing at her eyes. A few laughs from the kitchen drew their attention. "Sounds like they're having fun."

"I'm simply glad everything worked out." Rarity blinked as Spike walked over and gave the pale woman an abrupt hug.

"Thanks," all was he could say.

"Don't thank me just yet. You don't have the whole story."

"What do you mean?" He sat back down and leaned forward, as did the three women. "Twilight's okay. I mean, she looks exhausted, but she's okay." Winter's stoic mask made his heart rate increase. "She  _is_  okay, isn't she?"

"Physically? Yes. We fought, but her power healed those wounds. It's what I had to do to break her anger that will never be healed." Too unsettled to keep sitting, she got up and wandered to one of the large windows. Ponyville was still socked in with snow, tinted red and purple and blue with the evening sky. "I had to kill Princess Celestia to snap her out of it. She watched her die. That's how I won."

"A-a-a-are you gonna go to jail?" Pinkie asked. She had a hard time standing, her trembling was so bad. "Are you in trouble?"

Rarity, blanched with shock, had to set her drink aside. "Are you, darling?"

"I don't know. Luna sent me home with Twilight. I don't know what she's planning." She was surprised as they all gathered around her. "What?"

"This is  _very_  serious," Rarity said. "No matter what she decides, however, I—we will be with you."

"Even if it means we have to go to the slammer!" Pinkie cheered for a split second before getting droopy. "Wait, that's bad."

"I don't wanna go to jail," Fluttershy whimpered, hiding her mouth behind her oversized sweater sleeves.

Their fear was making Winter's blood boil. " _None_  of you are going to jail." She glanced down at a steely-eyed Spike. "Yes?"

"Twilight loved the Princess so much. I don't know how she's gonna get over this." He looked away and placed a hand on his hip. "But you didn't kill  _her_. That's what counts. Whatever I can do to convince Luna to leave you alone, I will."

Rarity swallowed and emitted a nervous laugh. "The good news is, I'm not sure Luna  _can_  imprison Winter, to be entirely honest. Still...this could be very prickly. Do Applejack and Rainbow Dash know?" The pale woman nodded. "Thank goodness. As soon as Twilight is settled, we need to formulate a plan."

"No need for a plan! Fufu stays here, we convince Lu that we can  _totally_  watch over her – not that she's dangerous at all! – and problem solved!" Pinkie wilted at their uncertain reaction. "R-right? Guys, seriously, she can't go to jail. She's been through waaaaay more than enough."

Fluttershy nodded forlornly. "Sure, but...what can we do?"

Winter lost track of their conversation; her focus went to Twilight and her family at the kitchen table, which she could see through the doorway. The librarian's face was marked with a particular kind of hopelessness even as she smiled – one with which the pale woman was quite familiar. It was the look she could feel on her own face whenever Twilight asked a question she couldn't answer. Her expression wasn't the main reason why she'd tuned out, though; the way her family behaved was fascinating, and in a way, infuriating. Winter knew friendship. She even knew, vaguely, what Rainbow Dash and Applejack had. What defied her was the love being shown between those four people, squished together at the too-small table. One thing about it was clear, however.

"I'll never have that," she said, cutting off Rarity as the dressmaker began to answer Spike's question.

"Hmm?" She looked in that direction, as did everyone else, and blinked. "Have what, darling?"

"A family."

A nearly endless stream of sympathetic words and noises did nothing for, her, nor did the group hug brought on by Pinkie. Their embrace felt as cold as the driven snow outside. Winter dropped her head and sighed, wrangling with the bitterness that sprouted again in her heart. In that moment she understood – a little, at least – why Twilight had snapped so badly.


	15. Out Of the Bag

Winter landed with a muffled thud in Applejack's front yard, sending a cloud of snow into the air. In one hand she had a blue t-shirt – which she had to take off to avoid ruining with her wings – and in the other, the bag she'd used as luggage for her trip to Canterlot. She had adjusted her ebony armor to look like a snug, long-sleeved undershirt. After putting her blue tee back on, she made for the farmhouse a few yards away.

Apple Bloom opened the door before she could even reach the front steps. "Hey, Miss Fuyu! Hold on, lemme get my sister. Applejack!"

She wanted to say that wasn't her name, but had no chance before the redhead was gone. Letting it slide with a shrug, she walked into the house. In a moment she saw Applejack coming from the kitchen with that ridiculous apple-themed apron she wore whenever cooking. "Howdy!" she waved, then blinked at the bag. "What's with the luggage?"

Winter place her free hand on her hip. "Twilight kicked me out."

Stunned, Applejack shed her apron and walked closer. "Wh-what? Why?"

She shuffled on her feet, trying her best to smile. "I'm being a little facetious. Her family's staying at the library and there isn't any room. I volunteered to make way."

The blonde chuckled and rubbed her neck with relief. "Oh, shoot. Well, make yourself at home. It's kinda lonely without Big Mac and Granny runnin' around. You can use your old room."

"You don't mind?" Winter tilted her head at the grin. "Okay." With a flick of her wrist, her bag levitated all the way up the steps until she set it down at the top. Then her attention went to the smell. "Dinner?"

Applejack donned her apron again and started back toward the kitchen. "Yeah! I'm makin' this fancy casserole somethin'...thing."

"Least ya ain't set the house on fire," Apple Bloom giggled, swinging her legs as she sat on the green sofa.

"You hush. I'm just as good at cookin' as anybody 'round here. Certainly better than our  _brother_."

Winter found herself smiling again without meaning to. The atmosphere was much less stifling than back at the library, where Twilight had been reduced to a grumpy, depressed wreck. This image erased her grin – the whole flight she had been trying to figure out how much she had hurt the librarian and still lacked an answer. Scowling, she took the other end of the couch from the young Apple and sat. She only noticed the girl waving for her attention after a few seconds.

"Y'all look upset. What's wrong?"

She had no idea how even begin answering that. "Oh, I've..."

_Doomed my friend to a lifetime of misery?_

"...got a lot on my mind," she mumbled, settling for being vague. "Don't worry."

"Grown-up stuff, huh?" Apple Bloom acknowledged the nod and sighed. "Sorry ta hear it. I'm glad everything worked out up in Canterlot, though, I was scared when I heard 'bout the accident at the castle."

Winter rested her chin on a hand and stared out the window. "Yes, the accident."

Applejack's ears pricked; quickly, she turned away from the stove and intercepted the conversation. "Hey, youngin'! Fu ain't here for ya ta talk her ears off!"

The redhead issued a tremendous pout at her sister. "Aw, come on, I'm just makin conversation!"

"Which is fine, 'cept I'm tired of hearin' about that dang explosion. We were there!"

Apple Bloom crossed her arms with a loud huff. "Y'all are so dang grumpy. I'm tryin' ta be friendly ta our guest. Ya ain't noticed 'cause you're too busy burnin' the food."

"What? I ain't burnin' nothin'." She turned back and opened the oven door, fanning away a bit of smoke. "Oh, crap. I left it in too long."

Winter blinked at how bright Apple Bloom's face suddenly got. "Told ya! Can we order a pizza?!"

Eyes rolling, Applejack straightened and groaned. "Don't y'all think it's a bit late? 'Sides, this is...totally edible." She made a face at the blackened mass in the dish and sighed. "Man, I wish Granny were here."

While the sisters bickered lightly, Winter remained quiet and avoided their attention. She smiled every so often – to her surprise, it seemed easier to  _breathe_  here due to the mood. She frowned again upon trying to figure out if she had really done the right thing. Before she knew it, Apple Bloom hopped off the couch and wandered upstairs, grumbling lowly. "What did I miss?" she asked Applejack.

The blonde cackled to herself. "A grumpy, sleepy kid losin' an argument." A yawn slipped out as she moved to clean up. "Shoot. Maybe I could use a nap myself."

"Hm." She rose and walked after her into the kitchen. "I may have hurt Twilight more than I intended."

"Ain't gonna lie – I've never seen her so sad." Applejack made a face at her ruined casserole. "What d'ya think? About the whole thing, I mean."

Winter used her magic to extract the charred gunk from the dish and deposit it into the trash can. "There's no way I was going to kill her. I had no other option."

Applejack nodded her thanks and tried to smile. "Then I wouldn't worry. From my view, y'all saved one of my best friends and that's all that matters to me."

"Even if I doomed the country in the process?"

She had to consider that for a while before offering anything. "Seems a bit dramatic. Luna's in charge now. She'll do fine." While waiting for the water to heat up at the sink, she took a look at Winter and frowned. "Something else botherin' ya?"

The pale woman wilted and looked away. "I'm still trying to resolve all the people that are dead because of me. I don't know...I don't know how to feel."

"Yeah." Applejack's face twisted sadly as she slid the dish into the water to soak. She stepped past Winter and peeked into the fridge. "Let me tell ya a story." She emerged with two bottles of sparkling cider and handed one off to the pale woman.

"A story?" Winter blinked at the bottle, then at Applejack's back before following her to the couch. "About what?"

She waited until they were both seated to answer. "Y'all saw my parents' graves, didn't ya?"

Winter searched for the memory. "Yes. I assume there was a fire?"

"Yep. Uh..." Further words stuck in her throat. She hid her eyes and sank back against the upholstery. "Damn. It  _still_  feels like yesterday." Her brain fought with the memories until she began to sob. "It's my fault they're dead."

Seeing the blonde so emotional made Winter feel awkward. "That can't be true," she offered, trying to snap her out of it.

"I'm the one who tripped. Everybody else was already outside but me. Mom and dad came back in and then the house collapsed on 'em." The next sob made her double over. "Of  _course_  it's my fault. It's been ten years, and half the time I still see their faces when I fall asleep. Bloom's lucky she was only two. I doubt she remembers any part of it. Wish I didn't."

The pain was too similar. Numb, Winter could only stare at her until she finally caught her breath again and looked up. "I don't know what to say," she admitted, now a bit teary-eyed herself.

"Don't worry none. I'm just tryin' ta tell ya that you ain't alone in blamin' yourself for what's happened to others. And the feelin' never goes away."

Stunned, Winter tilted back and stared. "That's..."

_Terrifying._

She agreed with her consciousness and nodded. "Scary. How do you handle it?"

Applejack smiled and dried her eyes. "Ya gotta focus on what you've got, not what ya ain't. It'll drive ya fuckin' crazy if ya don't. I've got Mac, and Bloom, and Granny, and Rainbow, and all my friends. Keeps me goin', even when the memories hurt so much I think I'll never get through." She snatched the bottle off the table and opened it, taking a long swig. "Gettin' stuck in the past is the surest way to lose your mind."

Winter dropped her eyes to her lap and sighed. "It's hard to avoid."

The blonde nodded and took another drink. "Damn right it is. Ya run through it over and over and end up with a buncha 'what ifs'. And I know it ain't really like what happened to ya, but...well, my parents had no choice but ta help me, and you had no choice but ta do what ya did. Sounds like a big pile of empty excuses, I guess. Don't make it any less true."

Mulling her advice over took only a moment; something else was concerning the pale woman more than her own inner turmoil. "I'm worried about Twilight. I don't think I did the right thing."

Applejack sighed and doffed her hat, dropping it on the couch between them. "If ya ask her, she'd agree. If ya ask any of the rest of us, we wouldn't."

"But she's so unhappy now."

"True, but – and y'all will figure this out too – time heals all wounds. Don't make 'em go away, just makes 'em easier ta handle. Twi's got her family and us ta help her through. And that includes you." She looked over when Winter didn't speak. "Complicated, ain't it?"

She ran a hand through her blue bangs and groaned. "Yes, very. I..."

Applejack shifted to get comfortable. "Go on, we got all night."

"Some part of me enjoyed killing Celestia. Perhaps it was revenge." Winter blinked as the blonde began to laugh.

She took another drink to stifle her dark chuckling. "Fu, if she'd done half the shit ta me that she did ta you, I'd be dancin' on her grave."

Winter's brow furrowed. "I don't think that helps."

All that got her was a shrug. "Just bein' honest." Applejack emptied her bottle and stared out the window. "I just hope Twilight can come to terms with herself. If she snaps again..." She looked over as the pale woman finally opened her bottle.

"Then I'll stop her. Again."

Applejack frowned hard. "...don't like the sound of that. A fight in the middle of Ponyville? Who knows how many would get hurt?"

"I'm not so sure anyone would. Twilight went out of her way to transform bystanders, but she didn't hurt any of them." Winter blinked at the blonde's reaction.

"I don't mean on purpose. Y'all two are like...I dunno, magical sledgehammers. Somebody might get caught up by accident, that's all I'm sayin'." She looked out the window and grumbled. "I gotta go check the apples in the crates and hope they don't freeze." She hauled herself to her feet and wandered over to the coat rack.

The pale woman emptied her cider and followed. "I'll go with you."

"Ya sure?" Applejack smiled a bit at the nod. "Still got some talkin' ta do?"

"Some." They entered the bitterly cold air and walked off the porch. "Why is it so much easier to talk to you than it is to talk to Twilight?"

Applejack couldn't help but snicker. "She's too timid. Likes to bottle stuff up. Me, I say what needs to be said." She paused for a moment to get their bearings. The moonlight caused the snow to sparkle; the light was so bright they could see several hills away. "Dash says me and Pinkie are too emotional. Maybe she's right. We both care a  _lot_ about people."

"Pinkie confuses me. She always gives me a hug, even when I'm a bloody mess. It doesn't fit with her attitude."

"Yeah." The blonde looked down as her boots crunched through the snow. "I ain't the only one with an unpleasant history. Y'all will have ta ask her 'bout it sometime."

Winter blinked as she tried to fit those words with her image of the baker. "How can that be? She seems so happy."

Applejack shrugged, eyes searching for the barn ahead of them. "We all have our own ways of dealin' with stuff."

"I suppose that's true." To their right, the barren trench of land scoured by the tornado stretched off toward the highway. "And we all have scars, don't we?"

She looked back and over at the white path. "Yeah. Every single one of us."

* * *

Winter reflected on those words all night and even after the sun rose. She only emerged from her room when noon arrived. Apple Bloom was still home – even if it hadn't been the weekend, the snow would have closed school – fiddling with the blonde's phone on the couch. She sat nearby, watching her.

"Dang it, I wanna take a picture of the snow. Applejack! How do ya work this stupid thing?!" she yelled up the stairs.

"Oh, I dunno!" she yelled back. "There's a button or something. Ask Fu!"

"Huh?" The young girl turned her head and blinked. "Y'all know how ta take pictures?"

"Yes. Let me show you." She took the phone and peered at the screen. "Press this icon, then point at whatever you want to take a picture of, like this, then press this green icon in the corner."

"Right!" Apple Bloom took the phone, pointed it at the pale woman as directed, and took a shot. "Neat. How d'ya like it?"

She tilted her head at the image of herself on screen. Her visage was disinterested-looking, almost blank. "I didn't smile."

The redheaded giggled and patted her on the arm. "It was only a test picture. I'm gonna go get my boots and go outside."

"Mm." Her lesson had sparked an idea. She followed the girl up the stairs and went to get her own phone. Just after Apple Bloom went past the door, she dialed a number and listened to the rings.

"Winter?"

She sat on the bed. "Twilight. I was wondering how you were."

"Uh...fine. Fine. Mom and dad won't leave me alone, but I'm okay."

In an instant, she knew the librarian was lying through her teeth. Her tone was weary and frazzled – and exhausted, like every other time Winter had seen her go without sleep. "No you're not. I can hear it."

"Hold on." A series of noises started up, punctuated by the opening and closing of a door. "You're right. I see her face every time I close my eyes."

"I did the wrong thing, didn't I?" Winter slumped over a little, using magic to shut her own door. "I didn't mean to hurt you like this. I only wanted you to stop."

"It's not your fault. I'm the reason she...I can't even say it." Twilight's gentle weeping obscured the last few words. "How long can Luna hide the truth? What happens when everyone finds out?"

"I don't know." Her eyes swung around as she thought. "Maybe you should come talk to Applejack. It always seems to help me."

Twilight laughed briefly. "Not a bad idea. I doubt my family will let me out of their sight for that long, though. Shining knows something is wrong. They  _all_  do."

The answer was plainly obvious – at least to Winter. "Then stop trying to keep secrets. You've seen how badly it's worked out."

"I can't tell them  _this_! Shining's in the Army, if he finds out he'll...you'll..."

"You're the only one that can hurt me, Twilight. I'm not afraid of them."

"Are you afraid of me?"

Winter had to think long on that question. She laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "I'm afraid for you, not of you. I wasn't even scared when you were killing me."

"Geez. What  _are_  you afraid of?"

She found it a lot easier to answer this one. "My own mind. I'm still not used to a lot of these emotions."

"Hmm. I wish I could say it gets better. I guess it just gets easier to deal with. To be honest, I'm kind of afraid of  _myself_  now."

Winter grew tense. "I would rather not have to stop you again."

"I know, I know. It's going to take time for me to get used to all the new stuff I can do. I'll manage."

"Good." Further words escaped her grasp, leaving her awkwardly silent. "If everyone else finds out about Celestia, do we have a plan?"

"Plan for what? We'll be arrested and thrown in jail. Are you saying we should fight?"

"I...don't really know what I'm saying." She rubbed her eyes and sat up again. "I should have thought this through more."

"Winter, I didn't give you any time to think. Whatever happens, we'll deal with. Somehow. I've got to go, my mom's made lunch. Talk to you later?"

"Of course. Goodbye." She hung up and slid the phone into her shirt pocket. "All I've done is made her miserable." While stretching her arms, she could feel the librarian's magic flowing around with her own. That power wasn't as blindingly hot as it had been, but it was still distinguishable. "No wonder the Princess was so fearful. I didn't know magic like this existed."

Suddenly, she was curious about what she could do with it. A few rounds of rearranging the room with telekinesis revealed nothing unusual or different, although she felt like she could lift the whole house with Twilight's magic backing her up. Transmuting objects was also the same; a snap of her fingers, or a thought, and suddenly she was surrounded by fruit or hammers or books. Confused, she started to pace around the bed – once she'd changed it back.

"Something must be different." On a whim, she closed her eyes and searched for anything new. When they opened again, movement from behind drew her attention. Black wings hung on her back, but had no mass or weight. Unlike the appendages she had made from memories of bird books, these were angelic and wispy. "How...odd," she mumbled, opening and folding them several times. "I don't understand how these are supposed to work."

A knock at the door stopped her from getting too far down that road. Applejack's face peeked around. "Hey, I'm going ta the—wow." She stepped fully into the room to regard Winter's new pinions. "Where'd those come from?"

"Probably the power I absorbed from Twilight." The pale woman continued to manipulate them. She poked at the feathers with a finger and blinked. "This is solid magic. It doesn't feel too different from the sludge, but it's so light. I don't understand how they work."

"Ha! Rainbow and Fluttershy don't get it either. Maybe Twi does." Applejack's brow perked at Winter's reaction to hearing that name. "What?"

"I talked to her a few minutes ago. She sounds terrible. I'm worried."

The blonde frowned and nodded, leaning on the door frame. "We all are. Nobody really knows what ta do. Best we can manage is ta be there if she needs us."

Winter dropped her head and sighed faintly. "I suppose so. What did you want?"

"Granny and Big Mac are comin' home tomorrow mornin', so Bloom and I are gonna go get groceries. Y'all wanna come along, or ya need anything from the store?"

"You know I could turn things into food for you. You've known for a while." Her head tilted at Applejack's laugh. "What?"

"Sure, but it don't seem right ta make ya use all that power to give me a taco, ya know? I wouldn't ask Twilight ta do it now that she knows how, and I ain't gonna ask ya either." She straightened and adjusted her hat. "Besides, how would that transmuted stuff taste? I'd rather just buy food and know what I'm gettin'."

Smirking, Winter placed her hands on her hips. "Very well. Pick up some cola for me, please."

"Ya got it!" The blonde gave her a thumbs up and disappeared from the doorway.

* * *

Long after everyone had gone to bed, Winter stepped out onto the front porch with a bottle of cola in hand to stare at the night. Part of her wanted to drop in on Twilight, but she couldn't make herself take off.

"Her family will make sure she's all right." The words rang hollow. Her rumination had only begun when her shirt pocket emitted a generic noise. "Huh?"

Upon inspection, she discovered a text message from Pinkie.  _I'm super worried about Twilight :(_

Winter's lips pursed while she used magic to reply.  _I am too. I talked with her this afternoon. She sounded_ _unhappy_ _._

Pinkie's texting was just as furious as her speaking. The pale woman had an answer right away. _I did too! She was crying and crying and crying...we gotta do something!_

Winter nodded in agreement, but had no ideas. _What can we do?_

_I dunno...something..._

A sigh escaped her lips as she looked up and out across the hills. "I don't know what to do." The phone began ringing. "Hello?"

"Fufu! Let's go kidnap Twilight!"

Winter rolled her eyes but smiled slightly. "I don't see how that would help."

"Maybe not, but she sounds soooo sad. I don't like it, man. Not a bit. It really sucks to feel like that for a just a while, but it's been a whole day! She needs some serious cheering up."

"But I don't know how." She looked at her now-empty cola bottle and sighed. "It's my fault she's sad in the first place. I bet she doesn't even want to see me."

"Hey! Don't sound like such a mopey-mope...wait. Are you sad too?"

Winter sat down on the porch swing. "Well, yes. Like I said, it's my fault Twilight feels so bad."

" _Where are you._  Don't care, I'm coming over!"

She shook her head at that. "It's too cold."

"So what! You need a friend!"

"I already had a long conversation with Applejack about this. I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about Twilight." Pinkie made a long, loud groaning noise that caused Winter to hold the phone away from her ear. "Stop whining."

"But Fuuuuuuufuuu..."

"Trust me, if I want a hug, you'll be the first to know." That reminded her of a thought from yesterday. "Speaking of hugs..."

"You want one? I'll be there in two shakes of a griffon's tail! Are you still at the orchard?"

Another smile broke out, even thought she was trying to feign annoyance. "Yes, but you don't have to come over. You'll freeze. I just have a question."

"Okay! What?"

"You never seemed to mind hugging me, even when I was bloody. Why?" A silence so long passed that Winter feared Pinkie had lost consciousness. "Are you still there?"

"Aheheheh, yeah, um...what about it?"

The baker's anxious tone made her head tilt with confusion. "Everyone else was repulsed. Why weren't you?"

"Because you needed a hug! Who cares if you're messy. I can always wash my clothes later!"

Winter was bothered by this, although she was unable to place why. Frowning, she decided it wouldn't be right to pry any further. "If you say so. I was just won-"

"That's fine, but it's not a big deal. You needed a hug!  _Especially_  those times, 'cause, I mean, wow. So I gave you a hug. I'm the giver of hugs, you know."

"Yes. You are. I..." She huffed a bit and shrugged to herself. "Never mind. I think I'm going to go take a nap."

"Okay! Sleep well! See you in the morning!"

"Good night." She hung up and put the phone in her pocket. "That was odd." After thinking on it for a moment more, she shrugged again and went back inside.

While she meant to nod off for about an hour, it ended up being closer to three. Her eyes slid open to find the dawn just staring to lighten the horizon out the window. As she slid out of bed, her phone emitted a terse chirp. She found that Twilight had left two text messages, a few minutes apart, about two hours previous.

_Are you awake? I don't think I can handle this._

_Never mind. Maybe I just need to try and sleep._

She started to call the librarian but hesitated. It was still so early – and she certainly didn't want to wake Twilight up if she had managed to fall asleep. Since there were no more texts beyond those two, she put the phone in her pocket and stepped into the hall. Applejack stumbled out of her own room at roughly the same time, scratching at her white shirt and boxer shorts. "Hello. Sleep well?"

"Not really," she droned, now working on her out of control hair. "Bad dreams. And too cold." A lip-vibrating sigh followed. "Man. I'll be glad ta have everyone back home."

Winter nodded a little. "I hope they don't mind my being here."

She chuckled and walked past toward the bathroom, giving her a hearty slap on the shoulder. "After everything ya've done? Don't even worry."

"Not all of it was good." She detected a hitch in the blonde's gait, but moved away and down the steps before Applejack could call her on what she meant. She eventually settled on the sofa with another bottle of cola, halfway watching the morning news. Canterlot was still one of the top stories, although it only garnered a couple of minutes of airtime. Her reverie broke when Applejack trundled down the stairs, boots in hand.

"Could y'all keep an eye on Bloom? Doubt she'll even wake up 'fore we get back, but just in case," she said, fussing with the cuffs of her jeans.

"Of course." Her lips bent slightly with the recollection of the last time she'd been alone with the girl. A hard frown soon followed.

"Something... _else_  on your mind?"

Winter brushed the question aside with a swig of cola. "Don't worry about it."

Applejack cocked a brow, but continued putting on her boots. "If ya say so. Anyway, train will be here in about an hour. I won't be gone too much longer than that, I hope. Depends on the roads."

She nodded idly and took another drink. The blonde was out the door five minutes later. Winter watched the old red truck navigate the snowy path until it left her sight. "Hmm." Once more, she thought about calling Twilight until she looked at the still-dark sky. "It can wait, I suppose."

Ninety minutes and another bottle of cola later, she discovered a new sensation to contemplate: boredom. Apple Bloom was still asleep; Winter had killed time by surfing every channel in Applejack's cable package while waiting on her to wake up. With a grumble, she rose and started up the stairs to see if the books Twilight had dropped off the day of the tornado were still around. Just as she reached the top, her pocket chimed. Another text from Twilight was on the screen.

_I'm so sorry._

"For what?" Winter jumped down over the railing and walked outside, dialing the librarian's number. It rang for ages until finally going to voicemail. "What is going on?" Unsettled, she left the front porch but stopped, looking back at the farmhouse. "I can't leave Apple Bloom." Her phone started ringing – Rarity's image was on the screen. "Hello?"

"Help!" This wasn't the dressmaker – it was Sweetie Belle. "They're taking Rarity away!"

Winter snapped her wings into being and prepared to take off. "Who?"

"The police!"

Her flight had just started. She came to a hover fifty feet up and raised an eyebrow. "...the police? Why?"

"They said she did something to Princess Celestia!" Sweetie was crying so hard her words began to slur. She yelled at someone in the room with her. "That's stupid! Leave her alone!"

"Hold on. I'm on my way." In an instant she was airborne, streaking toward the town.

She arrived at the boutique just in time to see a police car drive away, but couldn't pick out who was inside from her height. Before she could swoop down, another police car caught her attention. This one was parked outside Rainbow's apartment building – and even from here she could see a shock of rainbow-colored something being made to enter it. "What is going on?" Another police car, driving around directly below, caught her attention. She descended and started to follow. A distinctly pink-haired woman was in the back seat. "Pinkie?" Unsure of what to do, she drew her phone and called Twilight again. No answer came. "Damn it." She tried Fluttershy next.

"Hello?" the shy woman yawned.

"We have a problem." Winter gained height again, trying to figure out where to go. She looked at the library tree and noticed all the lights were on. "I think Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie have been arrested."

"Wh-what? Why?!"

"I don't know. They might be coming for you too."

"B-b-but I d-didn't do a-anyth—oh! Um...there's someone driving up the road. Let me see who it is." A brief pause followed. "O-oh, the police  _are_  h-here...what do I do?"

"Just...go with them for now. I'm going to the library to find out what's happening." She hung up and dived straight down, landing on the largest balcony in the branches. Through the double doors was the loft, but it was empty. She moved, room to room, only to find nobody there. Only when she entered the public space did anyone appear. It was Spike. "Where is everyone?"

"They know," he said, voice raspy. "Twilight couldn't keep it a secret any longer." He turned to look at her. His face was pale. "Shining...went to the cops. Everyone that knows is being taken in for not reporting it. Everyone went to the station with her."

Winter's eyes grew hard. "I see. If that's the case, they're looking for me too." She quickly called Applejack. "Where are you?"

"At the station. Train's late. Something wrong?"

While talking, she moved to the nearest window and looked out. "You're about to be arrested. So am I. Twilight talked."

"Fuck! Why would they arrest me? I ain't done a damn thing!"

"Exactly. You hid it. You and I are the only ones not in custody." A car was coming, but it wasn't a cruiser; it was Twilight's blue compact. Shining Armor was driving it. "I have to go."

"The hell am I supposed ta do?! What about Apple Bloom?"

"I don't know. Find some way to leave a message for your brother. That's all I can say." She hung up just as he came through the front door. His eyes were just as steely as her own. "I suppose I'm next, then?"

His face softened. "Your Highness, I think we both know I lack the power to apprehend you."

Winter crossed her arms and glared. "You could say the same for your sister. I don't care for what you're doing."

Hands raised slightly, Shining approached the pale woman. "Let me explain. I directed the police to bring Twilight's friends into protective custody. As for Twily, well..."

"I can't believe you had your own sister arrested," Spike grumbled, refusing to even look at him.

"I had no choice! She confessed to the crime and Princess Luna confirmed her involvement. Have you even looked at the news in the last few minutes?"

They faced the dormant TV as Shining walked over and turned it on. It was already tuned to the national news channel. The lower third of the screen was a huge red breaking news graphic with only three words.

"Riots in Canterlot? What the hell?" Spike looked over at the pale woman, who bore no emotion.

"I see Twilight isn't the only one that's lost control of her secrets," Winter grumbled, tucking her blue bangs behind her left ear. "If she told you the truth, then you know I'm just as much at fault as she is."

"Yes, she mentioned that too. But as I said, I don't think I can really ask anyone to take you in. I can ask you to not leave town nicely." An awkward smile appeared. "Look, if it helps either of you feel better, Luna actually asked me to do this." He shrank back a little at their harsh expressions. "Okay, it doesn't. Noted. Seriously, though, once the town wakes up and hears about this, they may strike out at the people they feel are responsible. That's Twily and all of you girls. She gave me the impression that  _you_  can take care of yourself, but my sister is pretty broken right now. If anything happens to her friends..."

Winter was growing ever more disgusted with the situation and that image only made it worse. She glared at him. "If anything happens to them, Twilight won't be the only one who's going to be  _very_  unhappy."

"And trust me, you wouldn't like Fu—Winter when she's unhappy," Spike said. He fell into a chair and growled. "Aren't you gonna take me in too? I knew about it."

"Twily begged me to let you remain here. I told her I would." He quickly turned back to the pale woman. "I see two options. You can either come to the station and stay there with the rest, or stay here and face the wrath of the town – if it comes to that."

She only needed a couple of seconds to make up her mind. "I'll stay. Everyone can focus their anger on me. Spike, you should go somewhere else. I don't know how much people might associate your presence with compliance."

He shook his head and glanced around the room. "I gotta stay. If something happens to the library, Twilight's gonna have a fit."

"I understand, but the library is at the bottom of my list of concerns." Winter stepped over to Shining and spoke lowly. "Applejack is at the train station. If this really is for their safety, go get her now. If you're lying to me about  _any_ of this, there will be hell to pay."

If he were unnerved, he didn't show it. Instead, he gave her a sharp salute. "Your Highness, Princess Luna personally ordered me to keep you seven alive until she can resolve this matter. I intend to fulfill that order."

"Resolve this matter. That sounds like something her sister would have said." A few cars drove by outside and attracted her attention for a moment. She moved her gaze to the soldier. "We're running out of time. Go get Applejack – and make sure someone sees after Apple Bloom."

"At your command," Shining replied, issuing another salute before departing.

Spike and Winter watched him drive away. "Guess I better get ready for a fight," he said, just staring to move away and back toward the living quarters before she put a hand on his shoulder. "Huh?"

"Twilight will lose her mind again if something happens to you. You can't stay."

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to let you stay here and soak up all the punishment?" He blinked when she smiled and nodded. "Are you serious?"

"I'm the only one besides Twilight who can." She smiled again when thinking of how he phrased the question. "Punishment. I like that term."

"Why?"

She turned away from him and stared out the window. Her confrontation with Luna popped up – specifically the words she uttered when the pale woman attacked. In response, Winter closed her eyes and sighed. "Because of everything I've done in my life. Perhaps this is what  _I_ deserve."

At her behest, Spike was packed and gone in ten minutes more – and headed toward the orchard to make sure Apple Bloom was all right, since she assumed people would go there to find her once they heard the news. Alone in the library, she sat down and watched as various anchors and on-reporters covered the unrest, which wasn't so much a riot as it was a massive act of outrage. All the police were really doing was keeping people away from the castle road gate; nothing seemed to be on fire, and any looting wasn't being caught on the cameras. She glanced over as someone walking by caught her attention, but they didn't stop. The moment she looked back, a sketch popped up on screen with the label 'suspect'. Twilight's name was mentioned too, but no picture of her appeared.

"Hmm. They did a good job," she murmured, looking at the drawing of her face. "They even got my hairstyle right."

The image went away so the massive demonstration could swallow up the screen again. Winter kept a running clock in her head of how long had passed since her face left the screen. Exactly seven minutes later, a frantic knock rang out from the front door.

A pallid Bon Bon greeted her as she answered. "U-uh, I s-saw you on the..." The words wouldn't even arrange themselves; all she could do was point at the TV across the room and stare questioningly.

"Yes. It was me." She crossed her arms and watched Bon Bon react. Neither said anything else – Bon Bon ran off in a panic, while the pale woman, unable to explain the why of her actions, chose to remain silent until she had gone. "I suppose it's only a matter of time now." Once the door was closed, she began to wander slowly about the public space. A picture on one of the windowsills caught her eye. She'd passed by it a lot each day, and it always made her smile. Until now.

She picked it up and gazed at each face – her six friends, Twilight in the center, each trying to make a goofier face than the girl standing next to them. A low sigh escaped her lips.

"Better me than them."


	16. The Introduction

It was over an hour since their arrival before anyone in the cell could make themselves speak – Rarity, seething with dignified rage, broke the silence. "Sweetie Belle must be terrified. I swear, I could punch Shining right in the face." A beat passed as she looked over through the bars and at the cell across from the five of them, where Twilight sat alone. "My apologies, darling."

"I understand," she grumbled, waving the statement away. "Why are you all even here? What reason did he give?"

Applejack, who had just been brought in, crossed her arms and glared at the gray concrete wall. "Said it was for our safety. Don't know what the townsfolk are gonna do once the news fully spreads."

"I think they'd have done something by _now_ , don't you?" Rainbow Dash nodded at their muffled agreement. "Seriously. I wanna go home."

"If he's right, I'm worried about my family. And your family." Rarity shared an uncertain look with the blonde and grumbled. "And _where_ is Winter, exactly? Shouldn't she be here with us?"

"You really think anyone could make her do something against her will?" Twilight interjected, standing and approaching the bars of her cell. "Besides, it isn't her fault, it's mine. She should be left alone."

Pinkie, hugging her knees in the corner, looked up with an unhappy glare. "And left out there? With all the angry people?"

"Pinks, you know nobody can hurt her." Rainbow nudged Fluttershy with her sneaker. "Hey, you awake down there?"

She nodded once, but didn't look up. "Yes. I'm not really sure what to do right now, that's all."

Twilight rubbed her forehead and sighed. "That makes six of us."

They heard someone coming down the hall – it turned out to be a gaggle of Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Spike. They split up to see to their persons of interest.

"How y'all holdin' up?" Granny asked, waving Applejack over.

All she could really do was shrug. "Fine, I guess. What's happenin' outside?"

"Most everyone is gatherin' at the library," Big Macintosh replied. "Ain't too rowdy yet, but they ain't terribly pleased either."

Twilight, who had been in muffled conversation with her assistant until that point, looked past him and snapped her fingers to get attention. "Have you seen Winter anywhere?"

"At the library!" Apple Bloom chirped. "She's hangin' around in there with Trixie!"

"Why is she with _her_?" Rarity snorted with displeasure. "Whatever. It certainly sounds like the whole town is on pins and needles."

"What do we do?" Pinkie asked. She whined shrilly when nobody had an answer. "Twilight, can't you just turn the door into a potato and let us all out? Fufu might need our help!"

"Beggin' your pardon, but I don't want ta be anywhere near that woman." Big Macintosh stared blankly at Applejack's unhappy look. "She murdered the Princess. We all saw the broadcast."

"No, _I did_!" Twilight snapped, her yell echoing off the walls. "I'm not going anywhere, but..." She pointed a trembling finger at the other cell door, which actually did curl up into a potato and drop to the ground. "There's no need for you to suffer because of my actions. Go home."

"If you're staying, I'm staying." Spike leaned against the bars. "And nobody is gonna tell me otherwise."

"Spike..." Groaning, the librarian watched the other women leave their cell. "Be careful out there, please."

Rainbow flashed a haughty grin. "Eh, we'll be fine."

Twilight shot her down with a glare. "I'm serious. If any of you end up in trouble, Winter will react. Swiftly. And probably with force."

"She's right." Applejack took point and lead her family down the corridor. "I think we oughta be goin' back ta the orchard. Probably best ta just stay outta the way for now."

"I'm with you!" Rainbow fell in beside her, looking back at Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie. "You three gonna be okay?"

The dressmaker primped her curls and sauntered along with purpose. "I certainly hope so. I'm heading to my parents' house right now. You two should come along."

"Not me," Pinkie said. Her blue eyes were hard.

"Darling?" Rarity stopped and moved closer. "Where are you going to go?"

The baker bristled and froze her in her tracks. "You _know_ where." Applejack and Rainbow Dash had also ceased walking, forcing the rest of the Apples to come to a halt as well. "No, you guys go on. I got stuff to do. Go on." She began shooing them. "Go! Go!"

"Take care, Pinks," Rainbow said, frowning. She followed the Apples up the steps.

Even after they had cleared the hall, however, everyone else remained where they were. Fluttershy gently nudged her friend. "Pinkie, it could be dangerous. If everyone's gathering at the library, a riot really _could_ break out."

"Yeah, I know." Pinkie walked back over to Twilight and smiled. "Hey, you. Sure you don't wanna bust out?"

A bitter frown marred her face. "No. I dug this hole. I'm going to stay in it." She used her power to restore the other cell door. "How is this going to end?" The blank, helpless look on their faces made her smile sadly. "That's what I thought."

Pinkie slammed a fist on the steel. "It's gonna be fine! I have no freaking idea how, but it will."

"I wish I could share your optimism." Everyone's heads snapped over as Shining Armor came down the hall, a grim edge to his expression. "And I also should have known better than try and tell the Apples to stay somewhere. Who let you all out?"

"I did," Twilight waved. "I understand what you're trying to do, but putting them here is just going to make them easier to get. At least they can defend themselves – or escape – outside."

"Fair point." He used his magic to unlock the cell door. "Come upstairs, all of you. No use having you here."

They all followed his lead, emerging into an empty station. "Where is everyone?" Fluttershy asked.

Shining took a seat at one of the desks and stared out the plate glass windows. "Flannery has the whole force over at Golden Oaks, trying to keep the crowd settled. If things escalate I'm going to have to call in military support."

"Seeing the Army will only make people panic!" Twilight pushed past Rarity and Pinkie to confront her brother directly. "They're scared enough about what happened—what I did to Princess Celestia. Bigger guns aren't the answer."

He gave her a slow shrug. "What should I do, then?"

She wilted and slunk away. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."

"Let's trust Fufu."

They all looked over with varying degrees of surprise. "Really?" Shining asked, standing up. "You want her on crowd control?"

Rarity crossed her arms and nodded firmly. "I agree. She won't lay a hand on anyone that doesn't attack her first. There are _very_ few people besides her that I'd rather have on my side in a situation like this."

"A-and she can just turn people into things until they cool off." Fluttershy squeaked at the thought. "I wonder what it's like being a...a th-thing, though? Does it hurt?"

"From what my victims have told me, it's like a very deep sleep." Twilight approached the front door to examine the town beyond. It was deserted; by this time in the morning the streets should have been teeming with people on their way to somewhere or another. "Geez, they must all be over at the library."

"We gotta go, then!" Pinkie squealed when Rarity held her back. "Lemme go! She needs us!"

"If she needs us, she'll call." A spark of thought killed that notion, however. "If we had our phones, that is. Where did they take them?"

"I still have mine." Twilight walked away from the windows and sighed. "Rarity, you should go see to your family. We'll be fine here."

"But be careful," Spike insisted.

"Um, I'll stay too," Fluttershy said. "I'm kind of nervous."

"Well I'm out!" Pinkie yelled, dashing through the door and down the street.

Rarity placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "I swear, that girl is going to get herself in a mess stickier than cake batter one of these days."

Twilight's mind was elsewhere by now. "Does anyone even know about my involvement?"

"It's been mentioned, but Winter's face is the one everyone has been seeing." Shining patted down his hair and sighed. "Princess Luna seems to be directing most of the blame at her."

"Damn it!" The librarian pounded a desktop. "What is she doing?! They should all be mad at _me_!" She broke down as her brother came over.

"Twily, calm down." That only encouraged her to sob more. "Oh, boy. I wish I had more of an idea about what caused all this."

Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike shared a glance before looking at him. "We can tell you the whole story," the dressmaker said.

* * *

While the crowd outside the windows was short of raucous, it still set Trixie on edge. Winter paid them no mind at all while staring at the TV. The riot in Canterlot had since morphed into something akin to a massive wake, like the whole city were grieving all at once. They still demanded entry to the castle, and the military was still keeping them away, on land and in the air.

"Don't you think we should do something about these people?" she asked, looking over her shoulder. She jumped when something struck the window and bounced off. "I'm fairly sure they want to do harm to _me_ in particular."

Winter shrugged, still watching the news. "Why didn't you stay home, then?"

"Good question." The pale woman finally glanced at her and forced a nervous chuckle. "I'm joking. How did we get to this point? You still haven't said."

"Twilight learned about my purpose from Princess Celestia, went insane with betrayal, and nearly killed me before my black sludge took over and allowed me to punch some sense back into her." She blankly regarded Trixie's slackened jaw. "What? That's what happened."

"You fought her? And _she_ almost won?" The magician patted her forehead as a cold sweat came on. "Good grief. I should thank her for not vaporizing me."

"Mm." A few minutes of silence drifted by – tapered to its terminus by the increasing noise of the people outside.

Trixie backed away from the window as more of the townsfolk readied various projectiles. "We still need to address the crowd, I think."

"How, exactly?"

Nothing would come to her; she slumped in frustration until a brilliant thought struck. "Address them! Literally! Go out onto the balcony and speak."

Winter finally turned around, a skeptical hand on her hip. "I don't see how that will help."

"Trust me, I know how the public works. The easiest way out of a bad situation is to reassure them; tell them what they want to hear." She rubbed her hands together and grinned with self-satisfaction. That smirk died when she saw Winter's unconvinced face.

"I tried talking to them once. They didn't really...appreciate it." She recalled her speech at the party – and how her words failed to break the ice. "I doubt I can convince them of anything now."

"You have to try. Everyone is terrified. Mostly of you."

Winter glared past her and out the window. "Oh, how novel." The emotion made her blink at herself. "Why am I so angry?"

"Maybe you've reached your limit. We've all got one." Trixie cleared her throat and strode toward the living quarters. "Come on. You have to say _something_ before they bust down the door."

Her lips twisted with confusion. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Whatever you feel like. Some advice: don't be too specific, don't be too emotional, and behave like you're in charge. You're extremely powerful; act like it."

"I don't want to intimidate anyone." Trixie grumbled loudly, causing her to tilt her head. "I don't."

"You might _have_ to. The country is in chaos. Everyone will seek out the first thing that brings back their perception of order." They were at the balcony doors in the loft by now. The magician prepared to open them, but stopped with her hands on the knobs. She looked back. "Sprout your wings. Look the part. _Silence_ them with your utter majesty."

"You cannot be serious." Winter managed a perfect roll of her eyes, but her jaw set almost instantly afterward. "Very well. I'll do my best." Her ebony pinions unfurled as she approached the railing and looked down. A clamor erupted as people saw her, which soon yielded to a tense silence. At a loss for words, she stared at individuals at random until she discovered Rose, Lily, and Daisy almost directly under her.

"Did you really do it?" Rose asked. Like many in the crowd, her skin was pallid.

"Yes, I did." A series of gasps floated up from the assembly. "I had a good reason."

"What reason could you possibly have for killing our Princess?!" The Mayor's shout was followed by a sizable chorus of agreement. "And dragging Twilight into it too? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Oh boy," Trixie murmured, tucked out of sight in the doorway.

Winter was thrown off by the outward expression of their displeasure. Cold and distant was easy to deal with – this had her all out of sorts. "Ashamed? I didn't have any choice. Twilight was going to-"

"No she wasn't!" Cheerilee shouted. "This is all your fault!"

"That's not true..." Her voice was lost against a wave of anger. Hopelessly outmatched, the police left the crowd; she watched them go for a moment before looking back at Trixie for some guidance. "What do I say now?"

The magician shrugged. "I have _no_ idea."

"Hmm." When she glanced back out, a shock of pink approaching from downtown caught her eye. "Pinkie?"

The crowd noticed it too shortly afterward, quietening down to a grumble as they all regarded her arrival. "Uh, hi!" she waved, barely audible to the pale woman. "What's everyone doing?"

"You know damn well what we're doing!" someone shouted. "How could you keep this a secret?"

Pinkie squinted at the speaker. "Hold the phone, mister. Just because everybody's in a tizzy is no reason to..." She trailed off and tapped her chin. "On second thought, maybe this is a little bigger than I'm guessing. Uh..."

"She murdered the Princess! And you're an accomplice!"

"Now that's just silly talk! Not the first thing, but the second thing. I wasn't even _in_ Canterlot! How can I be an accomplice?" A snort of laughter slipped out. "Sounds like licorice."

"Do you think this is _funny_?" The Mayor, having weaved her way through, stepped up and stuck a finger into Pinkie's chest. "The nation is in chaos!"

"N-no! The word was funny! Not the stuff!" She tried to back off, only to find herself surrounded. "Uh...guys? Come on, let's talk this out!"

"We've lost them," Trixie said, standing with Winter at the railing. "Hey! Stop that!" Pinkie was now boxed in and shrieked as people starting berating her from every direction.

"You planned this, didn't you?!"

"What happens if we get invaded? What if some other country sees this as an opportunity?"

"All of you should be executed on the spot!"

"No no no no no! Let me explain! There's a lot of stuff you don't kn-" She shrieked again as someone in the gathering got a hold of her shirt and started to pull. " _Let me gooooooo_!"

Winter, silent as the crowd's hysteria had gathered steam, reacted with swift violence. Her hands flared up with glittering light as she focused her power. Every person in her sight was knocked to the ground except for Pinkie and Trixie, the former of which she brought to the balcony with her magic.

"Owie," the baker breathed, rubbing her wrists. To her horror, the pale woman released her and stepped off the railing. "Fufu! No! Wait!"

She dropped into the crowd and stalked through it, glaring with hatred at anyone brave enough to regard her. As it had against Twilight, the black sludge provided her with the emotional charge needed to break her hesitation. "I can't believe this. You, _you_ , of all people, should know better. If you were so angry, why didn't you come and face me?"

Lily, trapped between her friends, was the one one who managed to speak. Even so, her thoughts were broken by fear. "B-b-because we're..." was all her lips would spill.

"Because _why_?!" Winter roared, her voice colored with emotion that neither Trixie nor Pinkie had heard before. "You know what? Don't even answer. I already know." Her next destination was the Mayor, whom she lifted to her feet with one hand. "You're too afraid."

Pinkie gripped the railing tightly and blanched. "Uh oh."

"So you go after my friend? Is that it?" Winter's teeth clenched as she allow her blood to boil. "We can't beat up Winter, so we'll attack Pinkie? That's what kind of people you are?" She tossed the Mayor down and clutched at the sides of her head, growling. "I did so much to ease your minds and you're no better than the...I..." Her eyes began to glow blue.

"Trixie, put me down there," Pinkie whispered, elbowing her frantically in the side.

"I can't lift you!"

" _Push_ _me then_!" She got her wish; Trixie used all her might to toss the baker into the crowd, where Mister Cake broke her fall. "Sorry...oh, crap!" Winter had spread her wings and cloaked herself in black armor. The sight made Pinkie cringe in terror, but through sheer force of will she got up and dashed at the pale woman.

"Then I will give you a reason to fear me!" Before she could, though, a hand on her shoulder turned her around. As she faced the baker, she received a furious slap across her left cheek. It stilled her completely.

"Uh...this was a better idea before I followed through on it," Pinkie whimpered. Despite her uncertainty, she stood pat. "Fufu? You in there?"

"Why did you-?" She rubbed her cheek and frowned. The light in her eyes faded back to normal. "Oh." The sludge was still feeding her emotion, but now she had no idea what to do with it. "I was going to kill everyone, wasn't I?"

"Yep!" Pinkie perked up and gave her a hug. "I'm okay. I promise."

Winter's jaw set. "I'm still mad." Everyone else scrambled away from her on hands and knees and feet. "That's a good idea. Get the hell away from me."

Trixie stumbled up, wide-eyed and gasping for air. "Are you insane?" she huffed at Pinkie.

"Nope. I just know when somebody needs a good slappin'." She shook her hand furiously. " _Aiiieeeeee_ , it feels like I smacked a rock! Geez!"

"I can't believe you actually did it." They were now alone outside, save for the Cakes who walked up to them.

Pinkie beamed brightly, although she was still waving her hand about. "Ha! I'm not scared of anything! Except that one time when you showed me the gooey gunk, but I got over it."

"That's our Pinkie," Mrs. Cake said with a smile. "She'd probably laugh at death and give him a balloon." Realizing they were now alone, she blinked with surprise. "Oh dear. Perhaps you should explain yourself to everyone. I'm sure there's a good reason for what you did."

"There totally is! But oh maaaan, it's so bad! It's like, the worst..." Pinkie trailed off as the pale woman shoved her hands into her pockets and walked away. "Fufu! Where you going?"

"I'm still mad." She looked back at everyone grimly. "The sludge. When I fought Twilight, it fed me rage. I have to slake it somehow...which means I need to punch someone, more or less."

"Who?" Trixie asked.

There wasn't an immediate answer. The feeling sloshing around inside somehow made it easier to reflect, however, so she sat on the ground, dismissed her wings and most of her ebony armor, and began to think. "I'm not sure."

_Yes you are._

Her eyes became hard. "Yes I am. Luna."

The Cakes shared a look of shock with Trixie and Pinkie. "Dearie, I don't think you can – _should_ do that," she advised, moving a little closer. "Why did you have to...you know? Perhaps an explanation would help calm everyone down."

Pinkie shook her head rapidly. "No offense, but it totally wouldn't. People would flip their lids so hard that...uh..." She looked at the sky as her analogy escaped. "Never mind. It's just a bad idea."

Winter's face suddenly brightened. She stood up and walked back to the front door of the library with everyone in tow. "You have something in mind?" Trixie asked.

"Yes, I do." The pale woman moved right to the TV and watched, arms folded, at the ticker that crawled along the bottom of the screen. "I saw it earlier. Where did it go?"

"I'll help look!" Pinkie stooped and squinted at the screen until her eyes began to cross. "Ow. Give me a second. Ow."

"There it is." She pointed to a blurb about a press conference with Luna that would be occurring at 11:30 AM. "That's two hours. I can get to Canterlot in plenty of time."

Trixie scratched at her hair and blinked. "What are you planning to do?"

Winter turned around with an oddly relieved smile on her face. "I'm going to kill two birds with one stone." Their collective gasp made her frown. "Not _literally_."

* * *

At that moment, Luna occupied the head chair at a long oak table in Canterlot Castle's dark and brooding situation room. Seated with her were two dozen people, some of which were in military uniform. At the other end of the table was a wall full of flat-panel monitors that were tuned either to the news or security cameras around the city. She was currently audience to a heated discussion between the Chief of Staff of the Army and the head of the Metropolitan Police about how to contain and disperse the unhappy populace. After listening to them argue in a circle for five minutes, she abruptly rose and slammed a hand on the table.

"If both of you are quite done," she said lowly, then walked around the table to look at the screen showing the news feed. The camera was airborne, swooping along the street that lead past the hotel Winter and friends had occupied on their visit. "Commissioner, what do the riot police say? Is there any looting? Random violence?"

He straightened his tie and cleared his throat. "On an extremely limited basis, Your Highness. There are always a few idiots in a crowd." He paused to fire a pointed look across the table. "My officers are more than capable of handling it, General."

Luna snapped her fingers to kill any further argument. "Don't start." She turned to hear the TV a little more clearly. "They're baying for blood. As long as they have a target at which to aim their rage, I agree with the police."

A smartly-dressed woman with icy hair interjected. "Ma'am, if you know where they are, why won't you bring them in? The public is demanding justice!"

"I am well aware, Minister Frost." Luna turned away from the screens and moved back to her seat. "General, what is the Army's assessment of the situation in the frontier territories?"

She returned the Commissioner's glare before replying. "As you would expect: the provincial governors are reporting problems. I believe the rabble may try to test your will in some way or another."

Her brow furrowed. "I am in no mood for their test. At any rate, I will be setting all of this right in a couple of hours."

"Excuse me, but how?" Frost demanded. "Princess Celestia is dead! Equestria is mere steps away from all-out chaos!"

" _Don't you think I know that_?" Luna roared, having reached her limit at last. She grabbed the edge of the table and exhaled to regain composure. "I am asking you all to trust me as you did my sister. I will get us through this." A glance at the clock on her smartphone caused a frown. "We are done for now. I will return here after the press conference to brief you. That is all."

They stood as she departed through the double doors. No one else was in the corridor besides the guards posted outside, but she couldn't help sneak glances about every few steps as she strode toward Celestia's living quarters, climbing stairway after stairway. At the base of the last one, in the painting-laden hallway where Winter confronted her namesake, she found a young woman in a gray, double-breasted blazer and matching pencil skirt. Her hair was brilliant orange and yellow; the way it stuck up made her skull look as if it were aflame.

"I picked the wrong damn day to wear heels," she groaned, adjusting the shiny black shoes again. She hadn't had noticed Luna, who had stopped to listen to her speak. "I wish I could have worn my uniform." Finally, she noticed the Princess standing nearby. "Crap! Your Highness!" A sharp salute was issued. "Ahem. Pardon my language."

Luna cocked a brow. "I know you from somewhere. What do you want?"

"Captain Spitfire, ma'am. I'm from..." She trailed off as the Princess walked past and up the stairs. "They weren't kidding when they said you were difficult to keep up with."

A pale hand waved her along. "Apparently so. You were saying?"

"I've been assigned as your CPO until things calm down."

"CPO?" Luna grumbled once she recalled the meaning. "I don't need a bodyguard, Captain. And why do you look familiar?"

Spitfire grimaced with each step, fearing she'd break her ankles at any moment. "I'm part of the aerobatics team."

"Yes, that's it. And you're a bodyguard? You must be busy." They came to a stop before Celestia's bedroom.

"If there's anything Royal Military Police is good at, it's multitasking."

"Terrific. Why aren't you in uniform?"

She glared down at her heels. "To blend in, ma'am."

Luna waved at the portal, then at her. "I see. Must you follow me everywhere?"

She issued a half-frown. "Well, following you is sort of my job description at this moment." The frown got bigger at Luna's groan. "Ma'am, please. You're the Crown Princess now, and if you haven't noticed, there's a bit of...unrest. We have to ensure your safety."

"With all due respect, Captain, the three people capable of doing me actual harm would turn you to powder with a thought." Her face softened when Spitfire refused to react. "And Celestia called me stubborn."

"I appreciate your honesty, that's all. Let me take care of everyone else."

Luna rolled her eyes and yielded. "Very well. Could you at least wait outside?"

"At your pleasure, ma'am." Spitfire took up a position left of the door and stood at parade rest as Luna entered.

"As if I do not have enough to deal with." She went to work, moving past the fireplace and the poster bed toward a door in the back corner that had a keyhole in the center. While regarding it, she pulled her phone from her hoodie pocket and placed a call. "Doctor Cannon, are you ready?"

"I want to know where you're pulling the material from."

Luna injected all the venom she had into her voice. "Are you ready or not?"

"Yes, we're ready. I still want an ans-"

"You will have everything you need to do your job. Nothing more, nothing less." She abruptly hung up and jammed the phone back into her pocket. "I do not need anyone else to second-guess me. I can do that on my own." With a long huff, she reached into her other pocket and drew out an ornate silver key, which she slipped into the lock. A slow twist and a click later, the door swung open in two halves. Behind it was a single shelf, and on that shelf sat a concrete box. "You look about as pleasant as I feel." She opened the lid and looked at two more keys, made from dreary bronze-colored metal. One had a sun stamped on the bow; the other bore a crescent moon. With a wry smile, she tried picking one up and was completely unable to move it – despite its size it weighed almost as much as she did. "Heavy as ever." Even moving it by magic was something of a challenge. At length she took up both keys, hid them under her hoodie, and exited.

Spitfire snapped to attention. "Ma'am."

"There is somewhere else I need to go that you cannot." Before she could object, Luna raised her hand. "It's in the castle basement. I sincerely doubt a rioter with a rock can bean me down there."

Helpless, the soldier could only shake her head and groan. "I'm going to get run through a court martial for not following orders."

"I will see to it that you don't." She looked around for a moment, then plucked a daisy from a vase nearby seemingly at random. "Meet me at the media room in...thirty minutes."

"As you wish, ma'am." Spitfire clicked her heels in salute, cursed lowly about the discomfort that caused her, then sprouted a pair of yellow wings and hovered away instead of trying to walk.

Luna moved away hastily, down all the stairs she'd come up, then past the part of the castle where the situation room was located. She then moved through a door that required her magic to unlock, and down some more stairs. The further into the bowels of the structure she went, the darker the walls became, fading from white marble to gray granite and then into the black bedrock of the plate on which the city sat. There was nothing to provide light besides the jewels in her palms, and before long the only things in front or behind her as she walked were stone stairs going down into an abyss.

"I never thought I'd have to see this place again." Suddenly, the stairway ended, dying in the face of a black wall of rock. "Let's see how right you were, sister." She slipped the daisy behind her ear and pulled out the heavy keys. Her jewels began to glow brightly – that light was directed up at the ceiling, several dozen feet up. Cut into the stone were two barely-visible keyholes. Grunting, she launched the keys up and jammed them into the locks, then turned them simultaneously. Getting the things out wasn't as easy, however, as the rock interfered with her power. She nearly dropped them on her head. "Damn it." The wall slid away, eerily quiet, and revealed a corridor. It opened after a short distance into a darkened room, stacked to the rafters with things encased in glass display domes on shelves, and larger objects – everything from weapons to statues to a gleaming floor mirror – arranged wherever there was space. There were also recessed ceiling lights that Luna turned on. The enormity of the room struck her briefly. "I suppose five years was long enough to forget a few things."

After setting the heavy keys aside, she grabbed the daisy and turned it into a box. She flew up to the lowest of the two catwalks that circled the room, went to a corner, and started looking. A few minutes later, a scuffing noise from the entryway startled her. "Who goes-" she yelled, taking flight and ready to attack. Cadance, red-faced and grim, waved a hand. "...there." They shared a hug after Luna dropped to the ground. "When did you get here?"

"An hour again. I...I can't believe it!" Sniffling, she rubbed at her eyes. "What could Twilight possibly have to do with any of this? Do you know where the suspect is?"

Luna made a face and sighed. "I have something to tell you, but you cannot stay. Go outside and wait for me."

Cadance nodded and spun on her heel to depart. "Fine. By the way, you shouldn't have a guard posted outside the secret door that leads to the secret magical stuff registry. Just a piece of advice."

Luna blinked and followed her out. "Wait, what guard?"

"Hair that looks like fire, yellow wings? Said she followed you until she saw you magick the door."

"...damn her!" Luna brushed aside her shimmering locks. "I will deal with her later. Just a moment."

"All right." Cadance watched her fly back into the chamber; left alone, she wrangled with her numbness. "Who in the world is strong enough to kill Celestia?"

"It's complicated."

"Gah!" She stumbled away from Luna, who had the box under her left arm. "That was quick!"

"I'd found what I came for." After going through the process of locking the chamber, she magically handed off one of the keys to her niece. "Carry this for me and we'll walk and talk."

"Sure. What did you want to tell me?"

"I indirectly killed my sister."

Cadance nearly dropped the heavy key on her foot with shock. " _What_?"

"Long story short: she and I forged a clay golem and filled it with magic in preparation to defend the world against Twilight if she went mad with power. Well, that golem turned out to have emotions. Feeling guilty, I let her go and...well, Twilight _did_ go insane, the golem _did_ do her job, and my sister died because of it. That was the only way Winter could make Twilight snap out of her anger."

She came to halt while trying to process Luna's words. "Wh-what? You created life? To...to kill...?"

"Project Winter. I know you've heard the name." Cadance nodded weakly. "Now you know what it is."

"I don't know what to say."

"Seems about right." With a bit of gentle urging, they were both on the move again. To save time, Luna decided to fly. "There are other details I'll give you later, but that is the gist of our sins."

Cadance's face was even more grim now. "I was under the impression that Equestria had been out of the habit of building living weapons for a few centuries now."

"Old habits die hard." Luna pushed aside the magic door and found Spitfire still standing nearby. "I should have you hanged for this."

"I've got a job and I'm going to do it," she replied, saluting.

"You also disobeyed a _direct order_ from your commander-in-chief." The three of them flew up back into the castle proper, dropping back into a walk past the situation room doors.

"I...erm, true."

"It's all right. Luna's a little stressed," Cadance laughed awkwardly. "As I am. More than a little. Hoo boy."

"Relax, it's all about to be over." She sneaked a glance at her niece and murmured, "Even the problem I spoke with you about just now."

"How?"

Luna brought the gaggle to a halt at the corner of the hallway that lead to the throne room. Her phone emitted a beep as she sent a text to Doctor Cannon. "You will see. Captain!"

Another salute was issued, although this one was somewhat more anxious. "Ma'am!"

"Deliver this box to a man at the Academy of Science named Glass Cannon and _perhaps_ I will remember not to have you brought before a court martial as I promised." She handed the box over and dismissed the soldier with a curt hand motion.

"But I'm supposed to be protect-" A stiff, chilly glare from Luna constricted her throat. "R-right away, ma'am. Oh, man."

Once she was gone, both Princesses exhaled. "What a mess," Cadance groaned. "You going to tell me your plan?"

Luna smiled a little. "I'm going to tell the entire country."

* * *

Winter approached the castle from the only spot she could see that wasn't being saturated with patrols: from under the city plate. "I don't think I thought this through," she muttered, hovering via her magical wings. "Impulsiveness. That's new."

A glance at her watch showed that she had five minutes left to carry out her plan. With a shrug, she took off and ascended past the plate, emerging almost right beside the castle. Even from this distance, she could hear the displeased cacophony of the massive crowd nearby. She looked in windows while flying past, trying to figure out where someone would hold a press conference. To her surprise, through a set of glass doors on a balcony she saw a podium; beyond that, the room was packed with reporters and cameras. Quickly, she ducked to the side of the entrance and out of view – and spied a glance of Luna in a room off to the set, waiting to come out. "Well." When she started to approach the podium, the pale woman made her move.

Almost everyone inside screamed or shouted when Winter came in. The only one who managed to ignore her instinct to back away was Spitfire, who drew her service pistol and pointed it at the intruder. "Stop right there!" she ordered.

Winter snapped her fingers and turned the weapon into a marshmallow. "I really don't like guns," she muttered, before staring Luna down. More exclamations of surprise came from the reporters. "I've made a decision about accepting your apology."

"You have?" Luna motioned at the cameras. "Can it wait? I have something important to tell the people."

"Hmm." Winter pointed at the door across the room and locked it, preventing anyone else from leaving. "So do I. And everyone is going to hear it."

"What...what are you-" When it hit her, Luna swallowed hard. She had been pushing for years to get the secret out – but certainly not on this scale. "Winter, please. You cannot...!"

"I can, and I will. Are the cameras on?" A couple of the cameramen nodded anxiously. "Good." Her gaze went to the one directly in front of her. "My name is Winter, and I killed Princess Celestia."

"No, wait! You're going to ruin everything!" She only managed one step before the pale woman stilled her with a glare. "Let me speak!"

"It's time I spoke for myself." Winter returned her eyes to the camera. "You will be held accountable for what you did to me, but I won't be the one to pass your judgment."

Hundreds of miles away, Trixie, Pinkie Pie and the Cakes watched the scene on the TV in the library. "Oh crap," the baker squeaked. "I know venting is good for you, but this is ridiculous!"


	17. Nobody's Shadow

And yet there was still time for Winter to change her mind, although only due to the look of sheer desperation on Luna's face. Pinkie had been right again, indirectly and through time and space; the passage of the hours had dulled her will to throw the secrets of the monarchy – and herself – out into the light of day.

Something spurred her on. Something akin to the feeling she got after slitting Celestia's throat but sharper – more vivid, somehow. Something whose seeds had been planted the night Connie absorbed her ebony arrows. It combined with the emotional boost of her sludge and proved enough to break her internal stalemate.

That something was vengeance, and now that it was in her hands she latched on and clutched it to her heart in a way she didn't know she was capable.

An unhappy murmur persisted amongst the reporters until she snapped her fingers, bringing them as well as Luna to some incomplete form of attention. The latter continued begging desperately with her expression, but Winter had moved past the point of caring. Her bitterness was now in full bloom.

"I suppose you could call me Celestia's daughter," she began, pausing for the surprised gasps. "And Luna's. They made me. I wasn't born, however. I was built – built to kill Twilight Sparkle in case she went over the edge. If you're wondering what happened to the castle a few days ago, that is your answer. She snapped, and I served my purpose. In the course of doing so, I had to kill one Princess to save another."

The reporters were hardly in any state to sit still, much less begin asking questions. Winter found herself annoyed by their anxious silence. "I am a living weapon. Thousands of people died to bring me to life." She whipped out a rope of the sludge and let it writhe in the air. The gathering's immediate response was a mottled collection of shrieks. Everyone but Spitfire backed away, but even she was less than steadfast. "This is pure magic. Do you know how it was made?" She glanced over at Luna, who no longer had the strength to return eye contact. Her gaze was half-lidded and weak, pointed past the cameras at the far wall. "Well? Should I tell them, or should you?"

Luna finally looked back with hollow eyes. "My sister ordered the summary execution without trial of over four thousand inmates serving sentences for various crimes in our prison system." She slowly turned to regard the reporters. "Those individuals were not put to the death you think they were. They were moved to Canterlot and crushed alive so we could harvest their magic."

If the reporters had been nervous before, now they were that  _and_  confused in the bargain. "You were using them in some kind of experiment?" a woman with yellow hair finally asked. "The experiment that made... _her_?"

Winter didn't care for the tone with which that last word was uttered, but she let it slide and intercepted Luna's attempt to answer. "Correct. Project Winter was its name. Those aren't the deaths that bother me, however. Actually, if I'm being honest, some part of me enjoyed killing Celestia." She glanced over again as Luna tensed up visibly. "I wouldn't get too angry. My initial plan was to come back here and kill you as well, but Pinkie convinced me otherwise."

That was more than enough for Spitfire, who placed herself between Luna and the pale woman. "The military is going to be here in a few moments, and when they show up..."

Her next words were chosen more so by the sludge than her brain, although they certainly met her approval. "Do you really think I'm afraid? I tried to reason with people and they attacked my friend because they were too scared of  _me_. I am not here to cause harm to anyone – I only want more people to help bear my secret," she fell silent and glared at Luna briefly, "like your sister before me."

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" she hissed back through clenched teeth. "You are  _ruining_  my plan!"

"If it's anything like the notion that gave birth to me, it deserves to die." Winter laughed at the shocked look she got. "Applejack was right about talking. I feel much better."

"C-can we go now?"

The pale woman glared out into the crowd. "I'm not done, and if anyone outside interrupts me I am going to be  _annoyed_." Sullenness abruptly darkened her face. "There are deaths I regret. Not the criminals. Not Celestia. The people – the innocent people whose lives I ended and whose flesh I consumed to quiet this goo." The ebony rope slammed back into her palm with an audible crack. "The children that died by my hand. Your Princesses knew I was free. S _he_ was the one that set me loose." Another groundswell of shock and confusion bubbled up as she pointed to a pale and weak-looking Luna. "They did nothing to try and contain me again. I have blood on my hands...but theirs are no less stained."

"I had no idea you were so bitter."

Despite the purely sympathetic tone and expression Luna carried, her words managed to strike Winter sourly. She stepped away from the podium and approached with fists clenched. Spitfire moved to intercept, but was tossed aside and to the floor with a burst of magic. "You cannot be serious," she hissed, squinting with anger. "Didn't you hear anything I said at the Academy? My life for five years – for ten years! – was taking the lives of others! That was  _it_!" With one hand, she snatched Luna up by the collar of her blouse and lifted her off the floor. The gathering screamed again, backing all the way to the walls. Some of them escaped out the side corridor. "Why would I be anything  _but_  bitter?!"

"Let her go!" Spitfire yelled, rising to her feet and charging again. Winter knocked her back down with an elbow to the ribs.

"I know," Luna wheezed, grabbing the pale woman's arm with both hands. Knowing no amount or type of pleading would make her let go, she struck Winter where she could guarantee it would resonate: her friends. "And I know you're angry. I said you could kill me before, but please, give me a chance to relieve Twilight of her burden first."

Winter's eyes narrowed even further. "What are you talking about?" She glanced back as Luna nodded at the podium. "Fine. I will hear you out." She set the Princess on her feet, but before either could move again a heavy banging came from the door. At the same time, troops spilled in from the hall where Luna had been waiting to start the press conference. Every one of them raised an assault rifle at her. "What have I told you fools about guns?" she snarled.

"Stand down!" She coughed, shuffling to the podium.

"But ma'am, we have her!" Spitfire countered, having moved over to take command of the soldiers. "She tried to hurt you!"

"I hurt her first." She steadied herself by grabbing the edges as tears gathered in her eyes. A helpless look was sent at almost every individual in the room, ending with Winter herself. "I have a lot of confessing to do. Most importantly, my sister is not dead."

Even the soldiers expressed their surprise. Some of them let the muzzles of their rifles drop for an instant. "But, you said..." Spitfire, scratched her head and stared. "You said you were in charge now! Is this a coup?!"

"No, it is not. My sister's body is dead, but I have her soul contained-" Luna hesitated for a moment, dropping her head. "I have her soul contained and prepared for transfer into a new vessel."

The silence that followed was the one of a hundred minds completely overwhelmed with revelation. People stopped trying to push past the soldiers – even Spitfire was rendered speechless and immobile with shock. Only Winter – already familiar with such a concept – maintained her faculties.

"You...you can do that?" a bewildered man in the audience asked.

Luna cast her eyes skyward and drew in a sharp breath as Celestia's carefully crafted world began to collapse around her. "Of course it is. My sister and I have been doing it for over a thousand years." Her eyes closed as people began to faint.

Winter slowly walked over, frowning with confusion. Luna gazed at the pale woman. "Don't seem so surprised. We made you. Did you think we became so skilled without centuries of practice?"

"Are you like me?"

Luna removed the small, dark blue crown from her head and gazed at it. "We are not weapons, no. But we stopped being human some time ago." She regarded the crowd, then the cameras. "My sister and I have been ruling over you for many generations, transferring between physical forms to prevent suspicion. Now you know why there is no line of succession; it begins and ends with us, in one body or another."

Nobody had the ability to speak any longer. The looks in most of their eyes betrayed deep uncertainty. Their silence was too much for Luna, who stepped away from the podium and sat on the edge of the wooden stage. "Get out. All of you – except Winter." Almost one by one they did move out into the hallway, save the soldiers and Spitfire who refused to depart. "You too. That is an order."

"I..." Spitfire rubbed her forehead and turned away to face the other troops. "Let's go. We're going to be needed on the streets."

The soldiers trundled out at length, leaving Winter and Luna alone. The pale woman crossed her arms and stared at her back. "Am I immortal too?"

"If you want to be." She rose abruptly and approached with an arm outstretched and hand palm up. "Cut me. I want to show you something."

Winter tilted her head. "The cameras are still running, aren't they?'

"Let them watch."

With a shrug, she lashed a black blade out of her hand and drew it slowly across Luna's forearm. Crimson leaked from the wound, mottled with glittering indigo flecks that looked like sapphires. "Hmm." With the same blade, she cut herself and looked at the black specks in her own blood. "Celestia had these too. Why?"

"For the same reason you do." Luna used magic to seal the cut and dropped her arm. "When the same magic occupies a vessel different from the one it originated in, it isolates and coalesces that vessel's innate magic. Even a blank human form has some magic within. The color of that magic is always the same: black. Those are the flecks you see. My sister and I lacked these at the beginning, but as we switched bodies they appeared. Ours eventually changed color to match the hue of our power. If you live long enough, so will yours – whatever color that may be."

"I see." Winter blinked to herself as a memory demanded her attention. "Wait. Why was Twilight's blood pure?"

Luna lost the will to face her and turned. "Because she is a natural 'Princess', for lack of a better term. We built you primarily to defend the country from her power. But we would be lying if we denied that some part of us wanted her dead to stay in control. She was the greatest threat to our eternal dictatorship."

"As ever, I am a tool." She moved to sit in one of the scattered chairs and sighed, her anger finally spent. "What happens now?"

"I assume you've been reading up on your history since living with Twilight." Her face dropped when the pale woman shook her head. "No? I am surprised."

"I've spent every waking moment running from my past. Why would I read about someone else's?" An understanding look from Luna made her sigh again. "I've done something awful, haven't I? As usual."

"No, we made this bed. You have just compelled us to sleep in it." Luna took a chair beside her. Cadance suddenly peeked through the door, wild-eyed and pale. "It's all right. She won't hurt you."

She did approach, slowly at first, then sped up when Winter only regarded her with a blank stare. "I'm struggling a bit with the 'my entire experience as a Princess appears to have been a lie' thing."

The pale woman's face suddenly lit up. "Twilight must be having the same problem. I have to go see if she's all right."

"Yes, getting out of the capital is probably a good idea for everyone at this point." Luna bent over and rubbed at her face. "I can scarcely believe it took so long for our judgment to arrive."

Cadance crossed her legs and stared at the ceiling. "What about Celestia? When will she be...back? I guess. I don't know how else to put it."

"Doctor Cannon will call me when the procedure is complete." Luna motioned at Winter, then to the glass doors. "Go. See to your friends. They may need your protection."

Winter departed with blinding speed. When she was out of sight, Cadance turned to Luna with a deeply unsettled expression. "Am I artificial too? I've never noticed anything like that in my blood," she said.

Luna's eyes remained on the doorway where Winter had disappeared for a few seconds. "No, not artificial. Just adopted." She nudged the marshmallow that had once been Spitfire's service pistol with her toe and smiled. "Consumed with bitterness, hmm? Your restraint tells me otherwise."

* * *

The feed had been cut off shortly after the pale woman's departure, leaving a pair of breathless and stunned anchors in the studio the impossible task of explaining what had just happened. This was about the time everyone in Applejack's living room stopped paying attention to the TV – a crowd which had grown over the course of the press conference to include Rarity, Sweetie Belle, their parents, Twilight, Shining Armor,  _their_  parents, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and finally Trixie. None of them had words for what they'd witnessed.

Except Rainbow Dash, of course. "The  _fuck_?" she exclaimed, hands on her head.

"Please don't curse around the kids," Applejack groaned. She was in no better shape, however. "Twilight? Could y'all explain, uh...well, anything?"

The librarian was stiff as a board, staring at the TV with hollow eyes. Several nudges from her mother were required before she even looked around. "I don't have a clue. Right now I feel like I'm in a dream," she whispered hoarsely.

"Am I to believe that all of Equestrian history for the past thousand years has been shepherded by two people?" Rarity frowned at their inability to reply either way. "Eternal dictatorship. I cannot  _wait_  to see how everyone reacts to this."

Pinkie was unusually fidgety. "Is something bad going to happen?"

Twilight rambled right past them both, standing up and walking a few steps toward the kitchen. "She gave me that book. Luna. Why did she...was she trying to drop me a hint?"

"What book, darling?"

"The book full of banned magic. The one she wanted me to keep safe because she was afraid the library wasn't secure. Of course it was secure! She was trying to tell me something!" Desperate to think about something else besides the years of fallacy to which she'd just been introduced, Twilight tried to quantify everyone's new reality. "I thought the limit of magic was transmutation, but immortality? People are going to demand loved ones be brought back from the dead. They're going to fight to live forever. They're going to..."

Applejack looked around as she stood and moved over to her. "Going to what, sugarcube?"

"They're going to go to war to take that power for themselves." Twilight's eyes grew dark as she faced the assembly. "You think people in the frontier territories are bad now? How much blood will they shed to become gods? To gain the power to throw off their perceived chains?"

"A civil war," Shining muttered, giving his parents a brief hug before rising from the sofa. "They're going to need me in Canterlot."

"What's going to happen to Ponyville?" Fluttershy squeaked, setting off a commotion that morphed into everyone trying to talk over each other.

Pinkie stood up and shouted over all of them. "Hey! Hey! Wait! Let's focus on the positive stuff! Twilight, Princess Celestia is okay! That's good, right? You don't have to feel super terrible awful anymore!"

"It's not that simple!" Twilight countered, fists at her sides. Her face suddenly went blank as she searched her feelings. "Uh...actually, maybe it is." She regained some of her vigor and blinked, eventually ending up on the sofa with her parents again. "Wow. You  _are_  right, Pinkie. I do feel a lot better."

Pinkie nodded and clapped her hands with excitement. "See, you're in the clear! Even if everything's a pineapple upside-down cake with extra confusion sprinkles, everything bad you did got undone!"

"I guess that's right..." Something else nagged at her brain. "How are people going to react to Winter now that they know everything?"

Those who were privy to the secret before looked to those who weren't for some indication. "Mother, father, Sweetie, what do you think?" Rarity asked, deciding to lead the charge.

"She killed people?" the young girl asked with a frown. "Why? She was super nice to us, especially when Trixie did all that stuff."

Rarity took a moment to glare at the magician, who was standing in the corner near the stairway closet and didn't acknowledge it. "Because she had no choice, dear. That's how she had to stay alive. We all have to eat. Unfortunately, because of the Princesses, she had to hurt people in the process." Her eyes went to Twilight for assurance. "That  _is_  correct, isn't it?"

"Yes. Winter was only doing what she had to in order to survive. It's not her fault. Even if she thinks it is."

"I ain't so sure," Big Macintosh said gruffly. "There's such a thing as a hunger strike. She coulda decided ta die instead of hurtin' people."

"What would you do in her position, huh?" Pinkie stared at everyone with steel in her eyes. "Would you crawl off and go die somewhere? Would you do what she did? What's the right answer? Well?"

"There isn't one," Applejack sighed. "Let's talk about this some other time. We got bigger stuff ta worry about right now. I wanna know if the town's gonna be safe."

"This is one of the most loyal areas in the country. Granted, I'm not sure what they'll be thinking now that they know the Princesses have been in power for a lot longer than we thought, but if the reaction's going to be muted anywhere, it'll be here." Twilight rubbed at her hair and sighed. "I hope. I don't really know what to expect, to be honest."

"What a day," Rainbow mumbled. "Fu's gonna be coming back. We should probably be around to meet her."

"Y'all ain't doin' it here," Granny Smith warned. Apple Bloom, sitting beside her, frowned lightly.

"Fair enough. We'll all go ta the library then, I guess." Applejack moved to get her hat off the table. "Where's everybody else goin'?"

"We're with you, obviously." Rarity turned to her parents and Sweetie Belle. "Perhaps you should remain here until we can take the temperature of the town."

"I agree," Twilight nodded. "Mom, dad, you stay here for now, okay?" She turned away from their simultaneous refusal. "No arguing! I'll feel better with you out of the town limits if something does go down." With a sweeping circle of her arm, she rounded up her five friends and Spike. Trixie also approached, causing Rarity to emit an undignified snarl. "Oh boy."

"Why does she have to come? She has legs. She can  _walk_." The magician walked right past everyone, ignoring Rarity's pointed look. "Hmph."

"Ugh! You two can argue later!" Twilight herded everyone outside with her brother's assistance.

"You sure about this?" he asked, looking in Ponyville's direction.

"I'm not sure about anything at this point." Her wings unfurled and spread. "This is never going to not feel weird." She nodded as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy pulled their own wings. "All right, everyone else get ready to be carried."

"Uh, how high we plannin' on goin'?" Applejack yelped as the librarian lifted her, Rarity, Pinkie and Spike with magic. "Stop ticklin' me! I'm gonna fall!"

Her eyes rolled slightly. "No you won't. Trixie, are you coming with us?"

She replied with a dismissive wave and kept moving away. "I'll walk."

"Good." Rarity folded her arms and grumbled even as she floated.

They lifted off together and flew back toward the library with Applejack yelling about being too high even though they were barely clearing the treetops. She only quietened down when Rainbow Dash dropped into formation beside her. Pinkie seemed to be enjoying herself the most, giggling and snorting intermittently through the whole trip. Once they were over the streets again, the lack of people outside bothered Twilight. "Where is everybody?"

"It is rather cold," Rarity said, teeth chattering as she looked at the barely-melted snow pack that covered the land as far as they could see. "Perhaps they're all in wait and see mode? I know I would be if I had the choice."

Pinkie had stopped laughing. "I don't like this...feels tense..."

The first thing Twilight did after they'd all piled into the library was to turn off the TV. She plopped into a chair and groaned loudly. "I think I exchanged being a murderer for a national crisis!" Her eyes went blank for an instant as she noticed how light her chest felt. "I accept this trade. Someone will figure something out. Maybe...but what if they don't?" A hand across the back of her head made her yelp with surprise. "Pinkie! What the heck?!"

"No worrying. We're gonna have a ton of chances to worry later. If you don't start smiling I'll-" Nobody was smiling, a fact that made her voice catch. "P-please smile? I'm scared enough."

Fluttershy tried to hide in her sweater, as if the motion would soften the impact of what she was about to say. "I'm not really in a smiling mood."

"Tell me about it." Rainbow gave her a pat on the shoulder and sighed.

As a group they chose to muddle through in anxious silence, breaking it only to murmur to whoever happened to be sitting closest to them. For once, the library was full and still managed to sound like a library. Twilight couldn't enjoy the scene. Pinkie felt the need to bottle up her emotions to prevent a massive outburst – and it made her head hurt. Instead of hanging around, she shuffled quietly into the kitchen and began to babble to herself. "Can't handle it can't handle it can't handle it! Everyone is so so so nervous. Too nervous – stop being nervous!"

"They are right to be nervous, don't you think?"

Her heart slammed into the top of her skull with fright, then fell right back down again as she whirled on her feet to see Winter coming down the stairs. "Fufu!" No other words were required; she draped herself on the pale woman in a hug so tight it required a leg lift. "You totally told everyone!"

There was an unusual glint in her eyes as she returned the embrace. It was light and easy – almost relieved. "I decided I would hide myself in  _nobody's_  shadow any longer. If people want to look at me, they can look upon the whole picture and then decide."

Pinkie squeezed until her arms shook. "Good! I dunno about all the stuff that came after, but good! You stopped running!"

"I suppose I did." Her framing of words made Winter's head tilt. "What would you know about running?"

With a few steps back and a slow, wrist-snapping gesticulation that ended in a double point to the doorway, Pinkie deflected her question. "No time. Gotta talk to everybody. They're so serious in there I'm afraid somebody's gonna die."

"If you insist?" Upon seeing her enter, everyone stood up. "Hello."

Rarity put on a wry smile and waved. "Understated as ever, darling. You've caused a kerfluffle, if you've not noticed."

"Kerfluffle? Only you would say that." Winter flashed a grin and moved right over to Twilight to offer a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know Luna would admit so much after I introduced myself."

She took the invitation and patted the pale woman on the back. "It's all right. I don't think anyone here is mad at you." Everyone agreed out loud. "But, wow. I don't even know where to start. Celestia ordered people's deaths?" Sadness darkened her face. "That's just...I didn't think her capable of such. She loved everyone, at least everyone I saw around her."

Applejack glanced out the window and waved for attention. "We've all gotta little re-thinkin' ta do, I suspect. Right now, though, we'd better focus on the bigger picture. If Ponyville don't split right down the middle, the whole country's liable ta. We gotta be ready."

Rainbow shook her head at the blonde. "What's there to be ready for? Do you  _see_  these two? They're probably the most powerful beings  _alive_. If anyone starts anything, Twilight and Fu will put their asses down. Seems pretty easy to me."

The librarian glared icily at her. "I am not going to hurt anyone."

Winter shared the chilly look. "Neither will I." A realization melted her scowl. "We don't have to. All we would need to do is turn them into something harmless."

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. "I don't know if that would work. They'd come out of the transformation as emotional they entered it. Like taking a nap, just magickier."

"Oh, enough of all this fuss. I doubt anything of interest will even happen." Rarity sauntered to one of the large windows. "This is far too sleepy a town! And in the middle of nowhere, too. If there is a war, it would probably just pass us by."

"Ain't no excuse ta not be prepared." Applejack straightened her hat and let her eyes dart around. "Granted, with y'all two we might have somethin' of a firepower advantage..."

The would-be Princesses exchanged a brief look. "Winter's better at using her might than I am right now. Knowing my luck I'll end up turning everyone into tuna by accident."

"Better tuna flopping around than people in battle with one another." The pale woman took a seat beside Fluttershy and smiled at her. "Don't be worried. I won't let anything happen to you. Any of you."

The door opened just then as Trixie arrived. Decked out in her stage hat and wrapped up in her cape, she made for an odd sight while drifting into the room. "Good to see you," she said, waving at Winter. "Brave thing you did."

"Perhaps brave, perhaps foolish. Whichever it is, I feel better. I was wondering where you were." Before anyone else could address her, the magician opened her cape and revealed a pistol on her belt and a long rifle tucked under her left arm.

"Good grief!" Twilight exclaimed. "Why do you have guns?!"

Trixie cocked a brow and smirked. "Why don't you? I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's a crisis brewing. Whatever problems my magic can't solve, I plan to fix with lead."

Rainbow managed a genuine laugh. "Damn. I didn't peg you for an  _actual_  badass."

She chuckled and put a hand on her hip. "I'm a traveling magician. Do you think I've never been robbed? I'd be an idiot to not carry a firearm...or two."

"Okay, okay," Twilight said, stepping in front of her. "Did you see anyone on your way here? Was anything on fire?"

"No fires. A few people were out and about in clumps talking to each other. From what I heard, I think the process of taking sides has begun."

The librarian nodded thoughtfully. "Then we'd better keep an eye on the news."

* * *

Afternoon began to yield to a bitterly cold evening. Something kept most of the town indoors – whether it was the temperature or the national situation, Winter couldn't decide. Everyone save herself, Twilight and Applejack hovered near the fireplace while trying to stay warm. The pale woman went over to see what those two were talking about.

Applejack nodded faintly as Winter approached. "I dunno, maybe Rarity was right. Hardly seen a soul since one o'clock."

"Perhaps. Maybe we're still in the 'looking after one's self first' phase." Twilight rubbed her chin and stared off in thought. "The best outcome would be for the town to adopt a neutral stance. Speaking of which, I'm shocked the Mayor hasn't issued some sort of decree. Or advisory. Or  _something_."

Winter crossed her arms and took on an annoyed air. "She might be afraid of offending me. Come to think of it, the whole  _town_  might feel the same way. You heard what happened to Pinkie."

Twilight nodded. "Yes, and how she probably saved everyone at the same time. I certainly wouldn't have had the guts to do what she did." Laughter drew their eyes back to the crowd – Spike, sitting next to the dressmaker, had apparently just heard a great joke from one of the other women. Her smile at the scene was brief. "They can't stay inside forever. Someone has to take charge before people get antsy."

"Yeah, but who?" Applejack leaned on the windowsill and peered outside. "Ya wanna do it?" She chuckled at the librarian's rapid head-shaking. "I ain't much inclined either. I agree with ya, though. Should we just trust the Mayor?"

"Are you nuts? She can't even find a way to give Sweet Apple Acres police protection."

"There's an obvious answer." Winter pointed to herself as they looked over then frowned as they made faces. "Why not? Give me a good reason."

"We don't know what they think about you now." Twilight rubbed at her eyes, but froze when she felt the pale woman bristle. Applejack had seen it first and was holding her hat tightly when the librarian looked back up. "What's the matter?"

"It's my fault Luna cracked and we're in this situation." She raised her hand and halted both their attempts to deny that truth. "Quiet. I want to  _know_  what they think of me now. Their genuine opinion." A strange sort of tingle danced all up and down her spine as she spoke. "Is this what admitting everything feels like? I feel...free."

"More or less," Applejack said with a smile. "I dunno, Fu. If they're scared of ya, what then?"

"They have no reason to be afraid." Her icy eyes drifted over to Pinkie, who was having a spirited chat with Rainbow Dash and Trixie. "Depending on how stupid they want to act. If they didn't know what would set me off before, they do now."

"All of that aside...I know I'm not ready to be in charge," Twilight admitted with a sigh. "I'm still recovering from my, uh, unfortunate outburst." With a glance up to the ceiling she confirmed her feelings and gave Winter a nod and smile. "All right. I think the best thing to do would be to go see what the Mayor's planning, if anything."

Applejack donned her hat and looked around for her coat. "Seems so. Let's get goin', then." Winter hauled her back with magic and forced a gasp. "Whoa, there! What're ya doin'?!"

"No. You stay here. I'm going out alone." She ran both hands through her hair. As they traveled over the strands, her power restored them to their original style, slicked back and neck-length, with two thick stripes of turquoise strands above her eyes. "Let them tell me what they think face to face."

Neither woman offered much resistance as she strode toward the front door and out onto the sidewalk. The cold managed to sting even her resistant skin, so as she walked the black sludge adjusted itself to covered her exposed arms and neck in skintight shirt form. Her quest instantly ran into a problem: nobody else seemed to be outside. Grumbling, she pulled her wings and flew toward downtown to search. Upon passing Sugarcube Corner, she found the shop was fairly packed. Walking in crushed the muffled conversation into a tense silence as everyone regarded her. Even Mrs. Cake, behind the counter, tugged at her collar for a moment. She stood before then, arms crossed and wearing a ghost of a frown. "Let's hear it."

A sheepish Cheerilee rose from her seat, head ducked and hands clasped. "What can we say? Besides that we're sorry for what we did to Pinkie. I guess what they say about the madness of crowds is true."

Winter shook her apology aside and started staring down individual people. "I don't care about that right now. I want to hear what you think of me – the  _real_  me."

"It's not your fault. What you did." Lily stood and waved to make the pale woman look at her. "Actually, I'm disgusted Celestia and Luna would do something like that. We all thought they really liked Twilight –  _we_  really like Twilight most of the time. And they're immortal? My head hurts."

She nodded and moved deeper into the shop, chose a seat and sat down. "To say 'it's complicated' would be an understatement. Do you all feel this way?" Most of them murmured a confirmation – but not everyone. She picked from the dissenters and found, to her surprise, that Mrs. Cake was among them. "You don't? Why?"

A nervous laugh prefaced her reply. "Killing is killing, dearie. I don't know, it's just hard to reconcile."

"Even if I were physically programmed to do it?"

"Er...well..." Bitterly uncomfortable, she could no longer face Winter and proceeded to stare at the counter while struggling with her thoughts. "I d-don't know."

"Neither do I." Winter tried lounging in the chair to relax, as she'd seen everyone else do at some time or another. It worked – and it didn't. "Nothing about anything about me makes sense." She rose and patted at her hair for a moment while looking around. "I only threatened you because I thought you were going to hurt one of my friends. Don't do that again and you have no reason to fear me – unless you want to fear me anyway. It's really up to you." She turned her back on them and used her wings to hover out before any reply could reach her ears. The distance from there to the town hall was covered in nearly an instant.

Mayor Mare was in the process of walking out just as Winter opened the doors. "Oh! It's...I should apologize on behalf of the town for the incident this morning."

"Forget it. Twilight and I want to know how you intend to proceed in regards to the-" A proper word escaped her, so she grabbed the closest one. "-thing."

The Mayor understood her immediately regardless. "Certainly. I've sent up a notice to the local news that there will be a meeting tomorrow morning at nine about what we should do. The entire town is invited."

"I see." Winter glanced around in thought. "We will be there. Do you have any indication about what people think so far?"

"Not really. People are still wrapping their heads around the news. All of it...I must say, I'm stunned to hear what the Princesses did to you."

She looked over and frowned slightly. "I wonder if my upbringing excuses the acts I committed."

"I would say that's for everyone to decide on their own – including you." The Mayor pushed her glasses back up her nose and drew a sharp breath. "If you're all worried about some sort of riot here, I'm not sure anyone's in the mental state for one. Focusing our anger on the supposed death of Princess Celestia was easy. I have no idea how to feel about this."

"No one does." Winter looked past and at a phone on the unoccupied receptionist's desk. "I'm going to call the library and let them know about the meeting, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not. Just, ah, turn off the lights on your way out." The Mayor departed with a slight wave just as Winter started to dial the number.

"Hello?" Twilight responded.

Despite everything, not having hair in her face any longer was somehow the most interesting sensation at the moment. Winter glanced at everything as she spoke. "The Mayor has planned a town meeting for nine AM tomorrow to see where people stand. I expect most everyone will be there."

"Yeah, I bet. I'll go tell the girls."

"Hmm." Sensing she was about to hang up, Winter blurted out, "Before you go...what have I done? I mean...what do you  _think_  I've done?"

"Personally? I think you might have brought down the government. Whether or not there's a parachute attached for the fall is something we'll have to discover over the next few days. If you're asking me what I think, I really couldn't tell you. Like I said before though, none of us are angry. I would've been crushed by the burden you had to carry."

No comfort was to be found in Twilight's words. There was too much tension in the air for her to relax, and she had already seen what such tension could cause people to do. Squeezing the handset, she let slip a nervous sigh. "Right. I'll ask again when we figure out how much more blood ends up on my hands."


	18. Pax Aeterna (Part I)

The library was packed as midnight arrived in Ponyville. Twilight's parents and Shining Armor had come back once the town failed to spontaneously explode and took up sleeping in the loft again, leaving Winter downstairs with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, and Trixie, the latter of whom was snoozing in a chair further away. She was grateful for their company – her words to Twilight over the phone earlier had only been the start of her worries.

"You can't blame yourself for how everyone else thinks," Fluttershy assured her. "Or what they do. All you can really do is be honest, and you were."

"Yeah!" Pinkie took a swig from what had to be her tenth bottle of soda, then let out a gentle belch. "'Scuse me. Shy is right, though! You gotta be you!"

"Being me isn't very pleasant." Winter stared at her knees, as she had for the duration of the conversation. "I don't want people to be afraid."

"I understand, but..." Fluttershy paused to take a dainty sip of coffee. "If they are, you can't force them not to be."

"And they can change! We all like you a lot, but we didn't at first." Shame marred her face. "Even me for like, a teeny tiny little while."

"Hmm. True." Feeling a bit more hopeful, she looked up at the clock. "Shouldn't you two try to sleep?"

Fluttershy shook her head gently. "Oh, um, I'm much too nervous."

"And I've got tooooooooooooooooooo much caffeine in me to snooze!" Pinkie grabbed the remote and turn on the TV. It was still on the national news and the lower banner crushed her goofy smile. "Wh-what?" The camera showed a crowd in Canterlot that had reformed and was marching in the streets. Some of the skyscrapers' ground floors appeared to be burning. "Country on brink of civil war? B-but it's so quiet outside!"

"Should we wake up Twilight?" Fluttershy looked around for guidance.

"Leave her be." Winter stared quietly at the screen for a long time until Pinkie threw a candy wrapper at the side of her head. "You could just say my name if you wanted my attention."

The baker folded her arms with a huff. "You look sad. Stop it."

"Um...I'm kind of sad too." Fluttershy squeaked loudly as Pinkie looked over and stared her down. "P-please don't throw anything at me!"

She reached over and patted her on the shoulder with a toothy grin. "Aw, I'd never do that." All three of them reacted to some extent as Trixie toppled out of her chair and landed face down with a muffled yelp. "Nice work, Trix!"

"I hate chairs," she groaned, pushing herself into a sitting position. "You three are still awake?"

"I never sleep." Winter pointed at the TV. "It appears nobody else will be getting much rest for a while either."

"Damn." Trixie took a chair with the group and watched. "What time is it?"

Fluttershy dug through her sweater sleeve to find the watch on her wrist. "Twenty to one. I think Twilight should know about this, don't you?"

"She has enough to deal with. We can tell her in the morning." Winter turned away from the TV and closed her eyes. "I would have assumed the capital would have been the most forgiving. If they're angry, I don't know what to expect here."

"Nothing!" Pinkie's voice sounded more like the shy woman's as she blurted that out. "Nothing's gonna happen because everyone in Ponyville really likes the Princesses and they like each other too! Except when they didn't like me and...oh boy." She curled up into a tight ball in her chair and groaned. "I hate being nervous. It makes me wanna cry."

Fluttershy performed the shoulder rubbing this time around. "It makes my stomach turn."

Suddenly, those hot pink locks had lost a lot of their puffiness. Pinkie's hair drooped lifelessly around her face and over her shoulders. "They were so mad at me. They were gonna...they were gonna mess me up!"

Winter glared off into space. "No they wouldn't. I wouldn't have  _let them_ ," she assured, harshly. They watched Fluttershy try to disappear in her sweater. "Sorry."

"Where is Celestia? If Luna's bringing her back, she'd better hurry up." Trixie looked over at the TV and pursed her lips. "I think the riot is getting worse. I see soldiers."

Restlessness set in, albeit in a different way for each of them. Fluttershy managed to yank her sweater all the way up to her eyes, while Pinkie whimpered quietly and rocked back and forth. Trixie and Winter stared at the news in silence. "I'm tired of sitting here. I'm going for a flight." The pale woman rose and moved to the door, waving at their muttered goodbyes. Once out from under the branches, her wings unfurled and propelled her up into the frigid, starry sky.

"This is is all my fault," she muttered once reaching altitude. Slowing to a hover, she looked below at the darkened town and scowled. "I used to kill people one at a time. Now I start wars. Terrific." Sadness and anxiety built up until she had to start flying again. She chose to whip through the air in circles for a few minutes. The sludge automatically covered her skin as a response to the cold slashing past her cheeks. "I miss my old life."

Her blood turned to ice after she replayed that statement and realized it was at least a little true. Again she came to a hover, grabbing her head and trying to shake the thought away. "No. I hurt people. I just didn't understand what I was doing."

_Understanding makes it so much worse._

"Now I'm hurting people I've never even met." Desperate for something to stabilize her emotions, she latched on to Fluttershy's words. "I can't worry about what others think—how can't I worry when what they think could get so many hurt...and it's  _my_  fault they had those thoughts in the first place?" She began to sob and covered her eyes, drawing in repeated sharp breaths to fuel her crying. Only her wings moved, flapping every few seconds; the rest of her form hung in the air as if suspended with an invisible noose.

* * *

Luna leaned on a pillar in the Academy of Science's basement, arms folded and staring at the floor. She was not alone, however; everyone with any clout had been roused or was still awake and had come with her. She listened to the Army Chief of Staff direct her troops via phone, while the cabinet ministers conferred off in a corner. Spitfire was also around, patrolling the area like she expected the building itself to attack. There was good reason for her vigilance.

"Your Highness! They're trying to break into the castle grounds," the Commissioner of Police called over the crowd. "What should I do?"

At last, Luna paid attention. "Whatever is necessary to keep them out."

"Including deadly force?"

Her eyes narrowed. A thought of the magical artifact registry being breached crossed her mind and made them narrow even further. "Yes. Including deadly force."

Paling at her words, he nodded acknowledgment and moved away to issue orders. As he left, Cadance walked up and leaned on another face of the square column. "The city's falling apart."

"The  _country_  is falling apart. General Talon says her forces in the frontier are too thinly spread. We stand a good chance of losing control of Appleloosa." Luna's eyes dropped to her watch. "It's almost time. Do you want to go in with me?"

"Absolutely." They both looked over at the lonely black door in the cinder block wall. "She's going to be upset."

"No doubt." Luna cleared her throat loudly to quiet the gathering. "We are going in. Do  _not_  interrupt us unless the building is on fire or the city is about to fall off the mountain." They started walking through the pillars. "I hope it went well. I could use  _one_  victory right now." Cadance opened the door and allowed Luna in first. When she shut it again, they were swallowed up by inky darkness. Only rectangular slivers of light seeped in around the curtains, but they were unable to illuminate but tiny sections of the wall. Neither of the Princesses was willing to use their magic to cast a glow. "Doctor Cannon, are you here?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I can't turn on the lights because it hurts the shell's eyes. Sorry."

"I understand." At last, she allowed her left hand to flare up and cast a limited pall. Cannon approached her and placed an amulet in her other palm – an alicorn amulet, except this one had accents and a center stone colored in a brilliant yellow. The crystal itself pulsed with a pleasant, warm light. "I feel her."

He nodded at her, then nodded a greeting to the other Princess as she crept over. "It was a complete success. The shell is ready for you."

"Very well. Cadance, stand over there with the Doctor, will you? And...cover your ears." Luna lifted her hand and squinted into the abyss. She eventually saw a table with a body lying on it, still as a corpse, and walked over. "Just like old times." The 'shell', a nude female form with very short white hair and eyes whose irises lacked color, looked up at her, wincing even though the light was hardly bright enough to be detectable. She made a strange noise of confusion and raised an arm. "No, no, stay still. I have something for you." She brought the amulet up and jammed it down into the shell's mouth. It began to shriek with pain, but the voice was hollow and toneless. Behind them, Cadance and Doctor Glass slammed their hands over their ears and winced. "Shh. Shh, now." Luna pushed her hand down until the amulet became lodged in the shell's throat. "It's stuck. Stop squirming!" With her power, she held the thrashing body down and continued to work. "You can swallow this. I  _built_  you to swallow this." At last it went down, vanishing into her throat with a painful sound. The shell kept writhing, however, still able to wiggle despite the telekinesis binding her. "There. Was that so hard?"

"I'm going to have nightmares forever!" Cadance yelled.

"Join the club." Luna stepped back as the shell became still. "Give it a moment." A blood-curdling series of cracks and pops filled the air. Cadance yelped unhappily and dashed into a corner to hide from the noises. When they stopped, the shell – now noticeably taller and curvier, tensed up as if something were stimulating all its nerves at once. Once it fell limp again, Luna increased the light coming from her hand. Lying on the table now was her sister. Her hair was still the same length as the template, but glittered with all the pastel colors for which it was famous. Stiffly, Celestia sat up and groaned in agony.

"Sister," Luna murmured, rubbing her back. "How do you feel?"

"Like a statue warmed over. Why is it so dark in here?" She looked across at Cannon and Cadance, who was staring in disbelief. "I guess you had to find out some time. Forgive me."

"I'm glad to see you...alive? Undead? I have no idea what to call it," she replied, head spinning with confusion. "This is all so  _surreal_."

"The latest symptom of a thousand years of incredible hypocrisy." Celestia peered down at her exposed breasts and grumbled, covering them with an arm. "Can I get a  _sheet_ , or something? Please?"

Luna reached into her hoodie and pulled out a swatch of white fabric. With a snap of her fingers it flew open into a long, strapless dress of the same color. Celestia magically donned it as she got off the table, stretching her arms over her head to dispel the stiffness in her joints. "Do you wish for a minute to walk around, sister?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Her steps were awkward and slow. "What lie did you feed them this time?"

"Ah...about that," Luna waved Cadance over. "Doctor Cannon, if you would give us a moment?" He nodded and moved quickly out the door. "Twilight didn't change everyone in the castle. Someone saw me carrying your body. I scheduled a press conference to tell the nation that you had been gravely injured, but that I had taken you elsewhere to recover. I would take the reins as Princess Regnant in the meantime."

"A safe story. Nice to see you used one of my contingency plans." Celestia shook her legs and winced. "This floor is freezing!" She magically yanked a loose cinder block from the back wall and squeezed it into a pair of white heels to step into. "Much better." The silence that followed made her skin crawl. "Why are you two so quiet?" Cadance whimpered unhappily. "I'm so sorry. I was planning to explain this to you, but I didn't want to drag your in-laws into it. Did Luna tell you what happened?"

"Yes, the whole thing. Project Winter and all. Thinking about it makes me sick."

Celestia frowned deeply. "Things are not so idyllic as you thought, I'm afraid. Forgive me. I never meant to hurt you, and I certainly never meant to hurt Twilight." She looked over at Luna and blinked. "Why do you look so tense?" Her sister refused to answer. Growing more nervous with every passing second, the unspoken answer finally registered and made her heart race. "Something happened."

She ducked her head and nodded, looking almost submissive. "You could put it that way, yes."

Hands on her hips, Celestia looked between them. "Well? What?"

"I may have cracked under pressure and told the entire nation we have been ruling for over a millennium at the aforementioned press conference." Luna grimaced at the awful noise of shock her sister made. "Winter barged in and exposed the Project. It was only a matter of time before the press began asking other questions." Luna took a gasp of the dusty air and coughed. "I was not ready."

"I would say not." She rubbed her forehead and fought off the urge to faint. "What has the reaction been?"

Cadance laughed nervously. "Well, uh. Most of Canterlot is on fire and people are trying to break into the castle. I imagine they're looking for you two."

Celestia facepalmed hard and groaned. "Oh, that's just terrific." She waved at the door. "Let's go. I'm sure I have a lot to catch up on."

Luna denied her. "Wait." She moved around behind her sister and used her power to lengthen her hair, running her fingers through it as a makeshift comb once it had reached the correct length. Celestia's magic aura expanded into the strands, restoring their autonomous waving motion. "There. No use being bald."

"We're probably past the point of keeping up appearances, but thank you all the same."

The gathering outside fell silent as they saw the three Princesses emerge. Celestia lead the way over, arms folded and stern-looking. "An explanation of the situation, please. In thirty seconds or less if at all possible."

General Feather was the one to answer. "The west is extremely unstable, the capital is split down the middle and fighting itself, the central regions are too terrified to take either side and I have no idea what the statuses of Twilight Sparkle and Princess Winter are."

"Do you think we could get either of them to help us?" Cadance asked, looking around.

"Perhaps Twilight, but she must feel incredibly betrayed." Celestia placed her chin on her hand and pondered options. "Winter probably hates us, and to be honest I'm reluctant to use her against the population even if she did agree to answer the call."

"Do we have to hurt anyone?"

Luna gently took Cadance by the arm to get her attention. "We may have to hurt them to stop them from killing each other." She let go and looked up at her sister. "Twilight is not the only one who feels betrayed. We've been lying to the people for generations. Those that were reticent in their opposition to us are screaming it from the rooftops now, and  _many_  are listening. If the unrest in the west reaches the south, we may lose Trottingham – and the military bases there. That would leave us vulnerable to outside meddling in our newborn civil war."

Celestia nodded and began to take command. "We have to go big and go  _now_. General, you have your orders. Put down whatever insurrection you find, by whatever means are required." Her fingers snapped to summon the Commissioner. "Restore order in my city. I don't care how. If our presence is required on the streets to make people listen to reason, then so be it."

"You haven't been awake long enough, sister!"

"There is no time." They both turned as Cadance made a distinctly unhappy sound. "What's wrong?"

"You can't ask the Army to murder the people it's supposed to be protecting! Don't you think doing so will just make the people angrier at you?!" Her demeanor went from angry to anxious as Celestia strode over and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"How do you think we came to power in the first place? A thousand years is plenty of time to forget. They will do so again."

Disgusted, Cadance stepped away and snarled. "Well, I shall have no part of this. I'm going to Ponyville to be with my husband. Leave me out of your damn bloodbath."

The whole crowd watched her storm out of the basement. After she'd gone, Celestia cleared her throat to end the distraction. "Get to work, everyone." Their faces betrayed deep uncertainty about the task ahead. "I understand your reluctance, but there can be no peace without stability. I will maintain order in Equestria. Once that's done, we can talk about reconciliation, not before. Now go." She waved toward the door and observed as they all started to shuffle out, muttering lowly amongst themselves. She didn't like their tone, but made no effort to call them on it. It was easy to see they were already close enough to the edge. "What a mess this is. I'm honestly surprised our secret lasted a thousand years."

"I thought roughly the same. Sister...are we doing the right thing?" Luna asked, also watching them go. "I know this is how we came to power, but times have changed. People have far better means to document our actions and pass them down to future generations. This could scar their spirits for a length of time even  _we_  may have trouble overcoming."

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed before hiking up her dress and walking toward the exit herself. "We can worry about that after we've put out this fire. Besides, you must remember there is no room for right or wrong in war, Luna. Only for necessity."

Luna pulled up her hood and pursued. "I wonder how long we'll keep telling ourselves that until we actually start to believe it?"

* * *

Twilight gulped down another mug of coffee, which failed to help her sleepy trembling. It was five in the morning, and Fluttershy had woken her up after seeing on the local news that the town meeting had been moved up to begin an hour from now. Watching the news after that didn't help – the country was beginning to crumble around them. Watching people get beaned and bloodied by riot police in Canterlot made her stomach turn, but the reports of full-scale fighting in the west nearly made her faint. Shining Armor and Pinkie Pie kept her company in the public area while Fluttershy called around to summon the rest of their friends. And there was another, if not bigger problem: who  _wasn't_  with them.

"When did Winter leave?" the librarian asked Pinkie.

"Like, four hours ago? She wanted some time by herself. I...I dunno why she hasn't come back!"

Shining hunched over in his chair while thinking. "Could she be in trouble?"

"Ha!" Twilight's laugh made her choke on the swig of coffee in her mouth. "Ow. Unless a mountain fell on her, or she's at the bottom of the ocean, then, no. Still...I wonder where she could be." Trixie stepped in from the kitchen, drawing their eyes for a moment. "I don't know if she even has her phone. Damn it."

The magician waved her own briefly. "I'll try to find out." She took a seat with the group as it rang...and rang, and rang. "Here we go again. I guess we should assume she doesn't."

"This is not good." Pinkie, unable to deal with her anxiety while sitting down, started to pace in a wild pattern around the chairs and tables. "What if she's having another breakdown?!"

"I'm fairly certain someone would have noticed." Twilight rubbed her forehead and tried to groan her grogginess away. "I can't blame her. I feel like running too."

Car lights swept past the windows, followed by the sound of a door shutting. Rarity came through the front door, her hair tousled but somehow still curly and gorgeous. "What in the world did I miss?" she asked, motioning around. "Why is the meeting happening so early?"

Twilight rose to greet her. "Because the whole country is falling apart."

"My word." She looked around and subtly cocked an eyebrow. "Where is Winter?"

"We don't know!" Pinkie growled with frustration. "I'ma go look for her." She grunted as Twilight tugged her away from the door. "Lemme go! We gotta find her!"

"But we  _really_  need to be at this meeting," she explained gently. "Everyone, even you. We might need your help in calming people down – or cheering them up."

The baker stared at her, teary-eyed and with lips trembling. "What about Fufu?"

Trixie had plucked her hat and cape off the rack while all this was going on. She moved to retrieve her pistol and then to the door, where Rarity peered at her for a moment while she tied on her cape. "You all go ahead. I'll see if I can't find her."

"Hrm." The dressmaker folded her arms. "Good luck. Try not to freeze to death."

Twilight was a little less sarcastic in her farewell. "Thank you, Trixie. Just bring her to the meeting hall if you do see her."

The magician waved and slipped outside, where the cold air slapped her across the face. "This was a  _brilliant_  idea." Huddling against the chill, she shuffled down the sidewalk and looked around. Nobody else was dumb enough to have come outside at this early hour. A grumpy cloud of breath escaped through her lips as she realized just how deep a hole she had dug for herself. "Where do I even begin to look?" Logic told her that she would have gone to Sweet Apple Acres, but it added that if she had, Fluttershy would have mentioned this when she were on the phone with Applejack in the kitchen. Her brain worked furiously to figure out where else Winter might be until her eyes suddenly lit up. "The pool." She looked down the road – all the way, past where the town's streetlights ended and the dark, foreboding path into the woods began. "Oh,  _great_. That has to be at least ten miles of walking in the dark, and it's freezing. I need to stop trying to atone for my mistakes." Grumbling, she steeled herself against the cold again and walked faster.

Her determination began to fail as she left the welcoming glow of Ponyville behind. Each step into the forest along the icy asphalt was an adventure – several times she slipped and fell. The pain began to accrue until she realized a limp was beginning to plague her left leg. "Agh! I'm going to die out here, aren't I? The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to turn into a frigid and icy corpse." She patted her hips and felt the phone. "Or perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic." A shape above caught her attention, hanging against the dim light of the new moon. It was barely distinguishable, but some of the form was moving – rhythmically, Trixie found as she watched – as the rest appeared stuck to the sky. After looking for a minute, she recognized the things in motion as wings. After bracing herself on a road sign she called up to it. "Excuse me? Winter? Is that you?" Ages passed before the silhouette reacted. It slowly dropped down to the road and approached on foot. Trixie tensed up, ready to use either her magic or her pistol in self-defense, but relaxed upon seeing that it was the pale woman. "Oh, you were scaring me half to death. What are you doing out here? Pinkie and the rest are worried."

"It's time for me to go," she replied. Her voice was breathy and  _weak_ , a fact that made the magician uncomfortable for reasons other than the bitter cold. "You saw the news. I've started a war. I don't even have to touch people to kill them anymore. This is...this is not what I wanted."

"You can't hold yourself responsible for the actions of others." Despite the pain in her leg, she strode over and put her arm around Winter's shoulders. "Only for what  _you_ have done." The advice didn't make her feel any better. She frowned and looked away. "You really think it's your fault?"

"Of course it is." At her urging, they began to walk slowly along the highway. "If I hadn't barged into the press conference, Luna wouldn't have admitted the truth. The whole  _thing_  is my fault."

"That is true, I suppose." Trixie rattled her brain for something comforting, or at least reassuring. "What if you tried the same thing I've been doing? It helped me."

"What?"

"If you feel you are to blame – and you do – then balance it out by helping people whenever you can. Little kindnesses can go a long way to ease your troubles." She came to a halt as the pale woman pulled away.

"That isn't enough. I tried that after you attacked the town and it hardly worked. Being nice won't solve any of the problems I've created." Her hand moved up to yank the frozen tears from her cheeks – and some of her skin along with them, although it quickly regenerated. "I've gone from being a serial killer to a mass murderer."

Trixie place her hands on her hips and said sternly, "You sound like you're giving up." Winter nodded confirmation, causing a growl as she walked over. "You, of all people? You have powers beyond imagination! There's  _something_  you can do!"

She whirled on the magician and began to shriek. "Of course there is! I can rid this entire nation – the entire  _world –_ of life! That's all I'm really good for! That would be one way to stop this, now wouldn't it?!"

Stunned, Trixie stumbled backward and landed on her rear. "There's another way, Winter. You have to find it in yourself to be the scalpel, not the sledgehammer," she said gently.

"What does that even me-" She fell silent as the phrase rang with familiarity. "I've heard Twilight say something like that. She was teaching Sweetie Belle how to harness her magic. What  _does_  it mean?"

"An old saying, passed down for a long time between those with our gift. Magic can suspend a feather in the air, or it can flatten a mountain – but it can't do both at once. You have to decide to be the scalpel – gentle and precise – or the sledgehammer – intense and hard to control." After some grunting, Trixie managed to get upright. "You haven't learned that fact quite yet, have you? Think. Nobody has to die if you don't want them to."

Winter drew on another phrase, this one from Applejack. "Like fighting fire with fire...which isn't going to work here."

"Exactly."

"But how can I stop them without force? They won't listen to me." She began to pace in the middle of the icy road, hardly acknowledging whenever her shoes lost traction. Buoyed by the magician's presence, she eventually convinced herself of some way out – although what that might be still eluded her. "Maybe you're right. There must be something I can do."

Trixie smiled at the renewed confidence in her voice. "That's the spirit. Think about it for a while."

Smiling broadly, Winter walked back over to her. "Yes, I will. Thank you. Are they waiting for me?"

"Actually..." The magician looked at her phone for the time. "The meeting was moved up to six AM because of how bad things are getting. We have ten minutes to get back."

"Not a problem." Her black wings flared as she snatched Trixie up with her magic. They shot off down the road at a terrifying pace, causing the magician to shriek the entire way back into town. They were at the library again in less than ninety seconds.

"Too fast!" She yelled, stumbling around after Winter set her down. Her steps finally landed her face-first in a snowdrift at the base of the tree. "Mmph!"

"Sorry." The pale woman picked her up and dusted her off. "I was in a hurry."

Behind them, the front door flew open and Pinkie Pie shot out, clamping onto both women in a hug. "Fufu! Trix! You're back!"

Trixie groaned, her eyes still rolling from the flight. "When did I get a nickname?"

"Shut the door, you damn fools!" Rainbow Dash yelled, peeking around the frame. She slammed it closed once everyone was inside. "What's up? Heard you ran off."

"I needed some time to think. Trixie gave me a pep talk just now." A wave was thrown in Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy's direction as they huddled near the fireplace.

Rainbow's face twisted with anxiety. "I dunno if I like the sound of that, man."

"Hey!" Twilight walked from the kitchen with a sleepy smile. "We were worried about you!"

"I know. I'm sorry." They exchanged a brief hug as Shining Armor and her parents also came out of the kitchen. "Is everyone here?"

"Yep." She spun on her heel and yelled back into the living quarters. "Spike! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, woman! Geez!"

A few moments passed before they were all gathered in the public space, bundled up but still clumped together to fight the cold. Twilight broke away from them and opened the door. "All right. Winter, I think we should use our magic to get there as quickly as possible."

She nodded. "Very well."

Both Trixie and Applejack moaned their disdain for the idea. "Oh no, not again!" the former whined in addition. Despite their objections, everyone moved outside and allowed themselves to be swept up by a raspberry or black glitter and carried down the street. To their surprise, it seemed everyone else had waited as long as possible to go as well – it was genuinely crowded and difficult going until Winter and Twilight raised their altitude. In a few seconds they arrived at the meeting hall and touched down, waiting to get in.

"It seems p-pretty calm," Fluttershy noted.

"Let 'em get inside where it's warm, then they'll have time ta think and get mad." Applejack saw her family and whistled them over. "Hey! Woo! Over here!" She blinked when she noticed Apple Bloom was accompanying them. "Uh, Granny? Why didn't y'all leave Bloom at home?"

"She didn't want to be by herself watchin' everything on TV," Big Macintosh explained as the blonde lifted her sister up in a hug. "Hmm." He squinted at Winter and crossed his arms.

"You may as well get used to it," she replied, matching his stare. "I'm as much a part of this as anyone else is."

The struggle to enter the meeting hall dragged on for several moments, but thanks to Flannery, the rest of the Ponyville Police, and some yelling from the Apples, the whole populace finally made it indoors. Twilight and company managed to get prime seats in the front row on the left side of the aisle. As everyone got settled, Mayor Mare got up on stage to speak. "I won't bore you with a speech about moments in history or how things can change in an instant. Let's get right to the point. I believe we should take a vote on what we consider our status to be in relation to the government of this country. Raise your hand if you still support the Princesses."

Half the assembly raised their hand – but Twilight was not among them. "Darling?" Rarity whispered, leaning across Pinkie Pie. "Aren't you going to raise your hand?"

"I don't legitimately know what I think of them anymore," she whispered back, eyes tightly shut.

Winter looked at their group and found only Shining Armor had his hand raised. Beside him, Pinkie looked ready to explode with emotion, but the rest weren't much less subdued. Applejack and Big Macintosh seemed to be checking who was voting which way. Rainbow, seated next to the pale woman, nudged her in the side. "I don't like this," she murmured.

She nodded. "I don't either."

"All right," the Mayor called over the persistent chatter. "Raise your hand if you prefer a change of leadership."

"That's awfully vague," Shining Armor said with a frown. Around them, most of the other half who hadn't raised their hands before did now. Twilight again declined to vote, but Rainbow Dash and Applejack raised their hands, as did the rest of the adult Apples. "You can't be serious," he said, addressing the blonde with a dour look. "You're in  _favor_  of a civil war?"

"Ain't right ta lie," she said, refusing to look at him. "Sure as hell ain't right ta lie for that damn long."

Twilight glared at both of them. "Don't fight! We have to stick together!"

"Twily, I have an oath. That oath is to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and until I hear otherwise I plan on keeping it." He shot another glare at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, which Big Macintosh didn't approve of. He stood, then Shining stood, and they had a distant face off. "Let's be reasonable, now."

"I don't appreciate ya lookin' at my sister that way," he replied angrily. Pinkie and Twilight stepped between them, saying things that were lost in the increasing clamor.

This wasn't the only confrontation breaking out. All around them people were engaged in shouting matches. In no time, fists were flying. The Mayor and the police did their best to restore order, but their attempts were hopeless. Frozen by the scene, Winter stared as her friends succumbed to the conflict – Rainbow Dash and Rarity were arguing about her support of a change of government, which the dressmaker insisted would be too hard without much bloodshed.

_Bloodshed._

Winter looked up at her brain. "Bloodshed?"

_I've caused a lot, and now my friends are being dragged into it._

Twilight was magically restraining their party from each other by now. Fluttershy had burst into tears – as had Pinkie, but her crying was far, far louder. Applejack and Rainbow clung to each other a short distance away from the group while continuing to argue with Rarity. Apple Bloom had some how ended up in her brother's arms, but he was still in a tense exchange with Shining Armor. Someone from behind fell on the pale woman. Almost idly, she brushed the person off her with an arm. She didn't snap an a literal sense while watching the situation play out, but the thought that came up next threw her past the point of restraint nonetheless.

 _The best way to make up for it is to stop it, right? I have that power. I have_ always _had that power._

Only now did she rise from the bench, her wings slowly unfurling. A surge of strength coursed through her veins, burning them along the way as she called on the librarian's stolen power to assist her own. By the time anyone saw her eyes glowing it was far too late – in exactly one second, almost every person in the hall turned into a small stone sphere, colored randomly depending on their hair and eyes, and fell with a series of heavy thumps to the floor. Only her friends remained standing.

"What the fuck?" Applejack yelped, hair flying as she looked around.

"Winter!" Twilight ran over and faced her, staring into her glowing eyes. "What did you do?! Change them back!" She hardly got the order out before a heavy black rope from Winter's palm slammed into her face, knocking her unconscious. Before she could fall, she too became a stony sphere.

"Oh, shit," Rainbow gulped, nearly falling over herself with shock as she ran back to her girlfriend.

She smiled over at them frigidly. Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy and Rarity and tugged them onto the stage, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash followed of their own accord. Winter pursued at a glacial pace, cornering them against the back wall as they clung to each other in terror. "Don't be afraid," she said, reaching out her left hand. "No, you should be happy."

"Are you insane?!" Rarity shrieked. "You cannot do this! Turn them back!" Abruptly, the dressmaker became a gleaming purple sphere with whitish streaks and fell into Applejack's lap.

"F-Fu?" Rainbow stammered, looking up at her helplessly.

Pinkie moved Fluttershy aside and stood up, hands raised. "P-please, Fufu, don't hurt us..."

"Hurt you? I wouldn't dare." The baker folded up into a cheerful-looking pink stone with blue and yellow accents, which Winter gently placed beside the Rarity sphere. Fluttershy shrieked and scrambled away on hands and knees, only making it a few feet before becoming a pleasant, pale yellow rock herself. Now just steps away from Applejack and Rainbow, the pale woman knelt down with a spine-chilling smile. "This is the answer. This is how I make up for all the misery I've caused."

The blonde shook her head so hard her Stetson flew right off. "N-no it ain't! Give me my family back! Give me my friends back!" Winter straightened and moved closer, causing her to curl her body around Rainbow protectively. "Please, Fu! Ya gotta let everyone go!" The athlete became a multicolored rock and dropped into the crook of her arms. "Wh-what the...Fu! No! No!" Out of desperation, she flung herself upright, tried to grab the spheres and escape, but Winter snatched her up by the jacket and held her aloft with one arm. "Lemme go!  _Lemme goooooooooooooooooo-_!"

Her plea was cut short by the process of her transformation into a red, orange, and green sphere. Winter gathered up all six and held them in her arms like children. "Just sleep." She magically ripped a floorboard free and pressed it into a fancy black pillow, like the kind she'd seen in Carousel Boutique. She set the spheres on it and stepped back with that awful smile still plastered on her face. "How do I repay everyone for the pain I've caused? By stopping pain. All pain.  _Forever_."

After gazing at her work for a while, she stepped off the stage and strode out to search Ponyville for anyone who wasn't in attendance.


	19. Pax Aeterna (Part II)

It was the following two hours of effort that dulled Winter's resolve into something nearer to resignation. Catching people trying to run or fly when they saw her change their friends to stone took up most of this time; the rest was occupied by mental wrangling with their pleas, their cries, their screams.

But now her work was almost done. She had become the overseer of a Ponyville made of whispers, empty and silent save for her ability to hear the displaced magic of the spheres speaking. Only a few regular sparks remained – three, in fact, one very weak in intensity. With wings beating she flew in their direction.

She landed in the front yard of the house they were contained in and found herself looking at Rarity's family home. Her brow furrowed.

Sweetie Belle saw her through a window and waved. Before long Rarity's mother opened the front door. "Well, hello there! I thought you'd be at the meeting."

Winter sighed and shuffled through the snow to meet her. "I was. Something happened."

"Goodness me, what?" She stepped aside to allow the pale woman entry.

"A fight broke out. The town is – was – split." Sweetie came over and gave her leg a hug, which made her smile despite the stress. "I had to...calm everyone down."

"That's terrible. I'm glad you were able to put a stop to it." A mild glare was sent at her husband, who had ignored Winter's arrival and was watching the national news. "Honey, we're all on this planet. Could you at least say hello?"

"Yeah, yeah, how's it going," he waved without turning around.

_This is going to be hard enough. I may as well get it over with._

Without another word, Winter snapped her fingers and turned the adults to spheres, then used her magic to set them on the couch. Sweetie shrieked and ran out of the room. "Mm." Tracking her spark, she found the girl hiding under her bed. "I'm sorry about this."

"Ch-change them back!" she cried, hiding her face. "Leave m-me alone!"

"This is the only way." Another snap pressed the girl into a dainty purple, pink and white ball, which Winter placed with her parents. "Why do they all scream? Don't they understand?"

_My friends almost started fighting._

She rubbed at her head and shuffled back outside, being sure to close and lock the front door behind her.

_If it's bad enough to make them hate each other, then I have no choice._

She nodded at herself. "Only I can stop this." Her ears pricked as a new set of sparks appeared, coming from above and slightly northeast of her. She looked up to see Cadance, accompanied by winged guards, descending from the sky.

"Oh, it's you," the Princess sighed as her entourage landed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so...never mind. Glad to see the town is still standing."

Arms folded, she regarded the guards with a suspicious eye. "Mm. What are you doing here?"

Cadance rubbed at her ears and glanced in all directions, as if distracted by something. "Escaping Canterlot. The situation there is deteriorating pretty quickly. My main reason for coming is to see my husband. Do you know where he is?" Her eyes continued to dart around. "What is that  _noise_?"

"I don't hear anything, ma'am," one of the male guards said, but they all entered an alert posture regardless.

"Maybe my nerves are just rattled." When her eyes met Winter's she froze. "Whoa. What's that look for?"

"I'm cleaning up the mess." The guards suddenly became spheres and dropped into the snow. "Celestia and Luna have managed to do something that turned even my friends against each other. I'm going to stop it from doing any more damage."

Cadance bared teeth as light blue magic began to shine around her fingers. "What have you done?"

Winter pointed at the spheres she had just made. "That. The whole town. And I'm not finished."

"Are these  _people_  whispering to me?" Her attention drifted for a second before returning. "Release them! You can't simply imprison the whole population!"

"Yes I can." She approached Cadance slowly with fists clenched. "I can do  _anything_. I'm not normal, not even by Princess standards. My birth – my  _life_  – revolved around death. Directly causing it or not, it doesn't matter. Look where my purpose has gotten us. Well...no more. I've found a  _new_  purpose."

The pale woman had gotten much too close for comfort, and Cadance reacted swiftly. She ripped up a section of the sidewalk and tried to bludgeon Winter, only to find her weapon stopped by a sickly cloud of glittering black and raspberry power. "Wh-what? Why can't I-?!" No matter how much of her magic she applied, the concrete slab wouldn't budge.

"You're rather underwhelming for a Princess." Winter flicked the weapon aside, where it shattered upon hitting the street. She squinted with annoyance as more projectiles came her way, ranging from street lights to benches and even a manhole cover. All were turned away with little effort. "Why do you fight me?"

"Because what you're doing is wrong!" Cadance yelled, sweating with exertion. In an instant she also became a sphere. Everything she'd been preparing to attack with fell to the ground around her.

Winter navigated the mess and picked up the sphere. It whispered much more loudly than any of the others – save Twilight's, which she could hear above the din even from this distance. "So I'm supposed to let them die? That's worse than killing them myself."

To make sure Cadance wouldn't be able to extract herself from the spell, Winter carried her around while making a final sweep of the town. Although the whispers coming from her sphere varied in volume, it stayed as it was. She returned it to Rarity's family home, along with her former guards, and put them in the living room. The TV was still on. She spent a moment watching the news. "Canterlot is falling apart. I'm running out of time."

She left, locked up again, and took to the air, leaving the empty town behind.

* * *

In fact, the situation in the capital was so desperate that Celestia and Luna had taken to the streets themselves, trying to bait those that would have their heads into following them away from the castle.

"And you wonder why we kept this a secret," Celestia muttered, marching toward the mountainside. Some of their supporters were following, serving as a rear guard.

Luna sighed. "I did not expect them to take it so poorly."

Her sister looked almost amused. "Really? You used the phrase 'eternal dictatorship' and thought, what? That nobody would mind?"

"In hindsight, I should have turned off the cameras." Her grip tightened on the assault rifle she had taken from a fallen soldier. "Or perhaps not appeared in public at all until after you were whole. I have failed so miserably, especially compared to you."

"Don't feel too bad. I've got a thousand more years of practice than you do." They ran into a problem – rather, several hundred problems, carrying guns and Molotov cocktails and anything else they could get their hands on. Immediately, the royal entourage came under attack, forcing them off the street. "Terrific."

"What if we said we'd step aside?" Luna called over the gunfire and explosions. She watched as some of their supporters, too slow to react and reach cover, were cut down by magically-propelled items of all sorts. The Princesses took up a position behind a skyscraper and looked for some section of it that wasn't glass.

"I am not abdicating. We made a vow to our parents to watch over this land." Celestia tried to lift a small car, but lacked the strength. "I wish my magic would hurry up and settle down!"

Luna couldn't move it either, so she mentally tore it apart, peeked around a corner, and started flinging the parts. No effort was put into her aim – all she wanted at the moment was for the attackers to scatter. "We may not have a choice!"

"Like hell. This is  _our_  country." Bullets from across the street whizzed past her head. The next volley she caught with her telekinesis and flicked aside. "Good, that works again."

"We're going to have problems when word spreads about where we are." Luna made a quick count of who was still with them. "I don't believe fifty-two people will be enough."

"As long as they chase us, that's all that matters to me." Celestia looked over as a soldier with communications gear on his back ran up. "What is it?"

"General Feather, ma'am. Says it's extremely urgent."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this." She took the phone from him. "Make this quick. I'm being shot at."

"Princess, we've lost Trottingham."

" _What_?" Her exclamation was so loud, Luna heard it over the din of battle and looked. "Are you telling me we've been overrun in the frontier already?!"

"No, something  _else_  happened. It's like the city's been abandoned."

"I do not believe this. Investigate and get back to me when you have something concrete. I have to get on with securing my own house." She hung up and shooed the soldier away. "Luna! We've got to keep moving!"

"Right!" Every time she snapped a wrist, something hurtled through the air and into the crowd. The last thing she threw – chunks of a fire truck – distracted them enough to halt their approach. "Now!"

Their party moved away, going around the other side of the skyscraper and continuing on toward the mountain. To their left, coming down the cross street, was another mob. And another on the next street. And another still on the next. "Word travels fast these days!" Celestia growled in complaint.

"It shall be a long time before anyone forgets this! We really should reconsider!" Luna ducked as more bullets passed nearby. "Assuming we survive!"

"Damn it! I could use Twilight or Winter here!" She frowned. "Of course, both probably hate me by now."

"I'm sure Twilight doesn't." A glance behind them revealed a mob in pursuit. "We might be surrounded."

They were. Bogged down in an intersection full of burning cars, rioters were now coming at them from all four streets. The soldiers and supporters formed a circle around the Princesses, but the party was outnumbered at least twenty to one. Many of them were on smartphones, likely calling for reinforcements.

"What are you willing to do, Luna?"

She glanced at her sister, jaw set. "Whatever it takes to see you safely out of here."

Celestia nodded once. "Likewise."

Nobody charged; instead the rioters waited and allowed their numbers to swell. In thirty minutes there were two thousand, in another thirty there were six, maybe eight thousand, accompanied by winged news reporters. The air was full of flyers; many of them were in Royal Air Force garb.

"At least we have air superiority now. Where is the Army?" Celestia waved the radioman back over. "Sitrep."

"Still too much fighting around the castle and Ambassador Street for the Major to send anyone our way," he explained.

"I understand. Even if we die, the castle cannot be breached under  _any_  circumstances. Make sure she knows that."

"Yes, ma'am."

By now there were over ten thousand angry people, chomping at the bit to permanently end Celestia's self-contained dynasty. They began to advance.

"And now we fight," Luna breathed, hands flaring up with magic.

Before the clash could happen, however, every person in view except for the Princesses themselves turned into stone spheres. Even those in the air changed; their fall was slowed by a color of magic neither woman recognized. Only when Winter dropped to the street behind them could they guess at what happened. No one said anything for a long while, their ears rattling with the whispers of throats that no longer existed.

"You look surprised to see me," Winter said, regarding Celestia. "Did you think I'd sit back and do nothing?"

"I certainly didn't think you'd help us." Before too much relief could take hold, however, her ears pricked. There were too many disembodied voices wafting through the chilly air.

Her question was answered before she could even start to speak it. "Canterlot is almost calm again. I have only to secure the castle when I'm done here."

"What did you do?" Luna asked, walking forward slowly.

"Look around. A quarter of a million people...silenced. No. Saved. From you or themselves, I can't decide."

Celestia looked from side to side. "The entire  _city_? Impossible! Luna and I combined don't have that power on our best day!"

"Of course you don't. I absorbed some of Twilight's strength. I have become something else entirely."

She charged to attack. "What have you done with my student?!" Winter simply halted her mid-step and held her there. "Release me!"

"Winter..." Luna warned lowly, gathering up scrap metal to use as a weapon.

"I did it when we fought in the castle. She's safe now. Ponyville is safe. Trottingham is safe. Soon, the whole country will be saved." She dropped Celestia and crossed her arms. "I'm making up for all the anguish I've caused."

"You can't change everyone! There isn't enough magic!" Celestia waved her hands around in disbelief. "There isn't enough magic in the world!"

"You underestimate Twilight. You underestimate  _me._ " Winter laughed at their shock – a throaty, unsettling cackle unlike any she'd ever emitted before, though her face quickly became serious. "Surprised? I thought children were always stronger than their parents. Twilight and I...I don't know what we are now, but there is literally nothing we cannot do." Her eyes lit up as she squashed Celestia into a sphere, but it was difficult. Golden magic fought against her black raspberry might for several seconds. Luna interfered, slinging her pile of metal, but failed. Her attempt to transmute the pale woman was met with the black sludge. It sucked up her power and made changing Celestia easier.

The resulting ball, brilliant white and yellow, fell to the asphalt and rolled to Luna's feet. "Sister?" she gasped, cradling it in her hands.

Winter stepped over to her and sighed. "You made me to kill. I'm going to kill, all right; I'm going to kill death itself."

Now on her knees, Luna stared up at the pale woman with terrified awe. "You're going to transform everyone?"

"It's the only way." She offered a hand up. "I forgive you. Maybe, in time, your people will do the same. Until then...I have to push the pause button."

Luna didn't take her hand; instead she looked around at the smoke and the whispers and rose on her own. "My sister didn't used to be this way. I didn't used to be, either. After the war of unification we would exhaust every means to find a peaceful solution. Did we forget the awful things we wrought?"

"The result of lifetimes piling up on each other, perhaps. I wouldn't know. I'm just starting my first." They looked in the direction of the castle, where the subtle sounds of conflict were floating in on the wind. "I have to go. Are you ready?"

Her eyes were on the shining ball in her arms. "Do it."

Winter set the spheres carefully aside, making sure they wouldn't roll away. With a final look around, she took flight and streaked toward the castle.

* * *

Grunting and apologizing all in the same breath, she pushed her way through the crowd of people clumping around the storefront to look at the TVs in the window. Behind her the streets were unnervingly empty – afternoon in Manehattan was supposed to be so loud you went deaf, not so quiet your spine tingled. No one could hear the news, but they didn't need to. The lower third said it all:

_...Mysterious Princess Winter attacks Trottingham, Baltimare, Canterlot, no known survivors; Princesses Celestia and Luna also missing..._

"This cannot be real," she breathed, pulling away from the crowd and walking quickly down the sidewalk. At the intersection ahead sat a military barricade – one of dozens erected around downtown and the financial district. Soldiers waved her past the armored vehicles, as well as the other pedestrians walking along nearby.

"Is she coming this way?" she asked one of them before moving on.

"I hope not," was all he had to offer.

Feeling even more anxious, she hurried past and jogged toward her apartment on the lower west side. A half-hour walk on any other day took ten minutes on this one, but just as she reached the brownstone the phone in her purse began to ring. "Hello?"

"Tavi! We gotta get the fuck out of here!"

With a groan, she ran a hand over her jet black hair. "Vinyl, where are you?"

"In your apartment! Why haven't you packed yet, man? It's time to  _go_."

Her brow cocked with annoyed surprise. "How do you keep getting in my—you know what? I don't care. I'll be up in a minute."

Once she scaled the four flights of stairs and opened her front door, she immediately saw a woman with two-tone blue hair, headphones around her neck, and more jewelry in her ears than half the stores in the upper east side seated on the couch and watching TV. "You look like you're about to faint."

The multitude of bangles on her wrist made noise as she pointed. "Dude, it's the end of the world. Look."

Upon doing so, Octavia was greeted with a live report from Fillydelphia. Winter was in view, streaking through the air. When she suddenly landed near the reporter, turned, and saw the camera, both women tensed up despite being two hundred miles east and north of the scene. Then the news crew – and everyone else in sight – turned into round stony-looking objects. Vinyl stood up and made an unhappy noise. "Oh man oh man oh man oh man we gotta go. We gotta go!"

"Where are we going to go? The Army has half the city locked down. We can't walk. I doubt they'll let any vehicles through, either." She sat down, smoothing out her gray pencil skirt with shaking hands. "Although I have to admit, staying here isn't much more appealing."

"You  _think_? I'm gonna get my car. One way or another, we're out." She moved past and out the door, leaving Octavia the impossible task of digesting events by herself.

"All I want is to see the sunrise tomorrow," she whispered, allowing herself to crack just a little. Unable to bear watching any further, she turned off the TV and went into her bedroom to pack a suitcase. Vinyl returned when she'd gotten one about halfway full.

"Good idea, I've already packed up myself." The DJ took off her sunglasses and rubbed at her eyes. "I miss the civil war. That crap never woulda gotten up here."

"I think I might agree with you." Octavia pushed a few more articles of clothing into the case and zipped it shut. "Do you have  _any_  idea what you're doing?"

"Yeah, sure! Thornberry Downs. Tiniest town I can think of that isn't a billion miles away. 'Cause I'm like, maybe this chick is just attacking big cities, you know?" A nervous laugh slipped out after she spoke. "R-right?"

Octavia's eyes were hollow, as was the smile she put on. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

With Vinyl behind the wheel of her little red four-door, they drove away and headed south. A handful of civilian cars were on the streets – most of the people who were out and about walked, not drove. "Damn, where is everyone?"

"Scared to death?"

"Er...yeah." Another Army checkpoint approached. "Think they're gonna let us by?"

"What's the worst they could do? Shoot us?" The thought made her wince. "I shouldn't have said that."

No bullets came their way as Vinyl brought the car to a halt and looked at the soldier who walked up to the driver door. "Hey, uh...is it too late to evacuate, or what?"

"Absolutely not. I don't think you wanna be here if that woman shows up anyway." She stepped back and waved them on through.

"That was easy." Octavia looked around as Vinyl threaded the car through a maze of APCs. "I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my life."

"No. Kidding."

Their dread only deepened when they got onto the Fillydelphia Expressway, a massive eight lane expanse of concrete that usually served as the world's longest parking lot this time of day. Instead, there were even fewer cars here than in the city, and every single one of them was heading away from Manehattan. Only after twenty minutes of driving did anything going the other way appear: a military convoy, rumbling along under the watchful eye of winged commandos who were bristling with firepower.

Octavia watched the convoy roll past. "You were right. I want to be as far away from this as possible."

"Yeah, I—huh?" Vinyl leaned forward and squinted through the windshield. "Is that a bug on the glass or something?"

"Hmm?" She squinted too, eventually finding the black dot in question against the blue sky. "No, that's..." Her heart slammed into her throat. "Vinyl! Pull over!"

Just down the road, cars were enveloped in clouds of an awful color, stopped, and then allowed to roll slightly off onto the shoulder. Winter, eyes glowing, transformed their occupants as she flew overhead. Vinyl and Octavia got out and stared up as she approached, but before the pale woman could change them a rocket from the ground struck her and exploded. She fell to the median and rolled for a few feet. The next time she stood, the black sludge extruded itself from her skin in the armor configuration it used to stop Twilight.

"Oh hell," Vinyl breathed, watching her shake off the attack from behind the hood of her car. "This is it, huh?"

"Appears-" They ducked as gunfire erupted. The bullets struck a glittering bubble Winter erected around herself and fell harmlessly to the ground. Only a few seconds of shooting occurred before the soldiers, flying and walking, became stone spheres. Some of the convoy had gone ahead, not realizing the situation until now. Those vehicles were coming back. The battle lasted about three minutes, most of which Winter spent tearing open the vehicles like cans with ebony claws, so their occupants could be transformed.

Silence fell again. After looking around to confirm how many people were left standing, Winter approached Vinyl's car. "Did anything hit you?" she asked.

"Wh-why do you care?" Octavia stuttered, huddled with her friend. "You're just going to kill us anyway."

"No. I'm going to stop you from dying." She snapped them into spheres, put them back in the car, and took flight again. Staying low – not more than three or four feet off the highway – her power halted every car coming nearer and changed the people inside. After a while, no more came. She looked ahead at the towering skyscrapers of Manehattan and sighed. "One more city."

Low altitude served to keep her arrival unseen, but the Army already knew she was coming regardless. The first barricade she saw opened up with all caliber of gunfire, even rocket launchers. Fortunately, no civilians seemed to be around, but regardless she used her magic to catch and absorb the energy of the rounds instead of just deflecting them. The rockets were sent skyward to explode harmlessly. After one volley, she pressed the soldiers into spheres and moved on. There was another position at the next intersection. In fact, once she got to a certain point, the entire city seemed to be full of nothing but people trying to kill her. "Where is everyone else?" As she wondered out loud, she kept on snatching bullets out of the air with her mind or grabbing and tossing thrown grenades over her shoulder.

Consulting her senses yielded the answer: indoors. Millions of people huddling in their homes, or whatever shelter they could find. This was by far the biggest city in Equestria – and that made her uneasy.

"If I'm going to make this quick-" Another rocket zoomed past her head and drew a growl. "I would appreciate it if you'd stop shooting at me for one minute!" she yelled at the troops ahead. They didn't, so she flattened them into spheres. "As I was saying..."

Another noise drew her eyes. She looked up and saw people flying above her with cameras, but that wasn't the source. It came from people leaning out of windows and yelling down at her.

Begging her to leave them alone.

"Why is everyone so  _unhappy_  with me?" Frustration crept into her expression as she flung herself skyward. Eyes aglow, she scanned buildings and unleashed a series of snaps to change the people inside. After a few blocks of work, more troops appeared to shoot at her. She wasted no time in changing them. Desperate to escape, the braver souls took to the streets and ran. None got far.

The sheer size of the task was difficult to overcome, even for Winter. It took hours to clear the city; of course, the Army wasn't helping. By the time she silenced the last rifle to begin a final sweep of the area, her ears were filled with whispers.

_Help us._

"I did help you!" she yelled back. "I did more than help you!"

_Help us._

"It gets worse everywhere I go," she muttered lowly, then called up, "I'm not trying to hurt you! I'm only trying to stop a war I inadvertently caused!"

_Help us._

Growing more enraged with each second, Winter launched herself up higher into the evening sky. Putting a few thousand feet between her and the source managed to dull the voices enough for her to think. "Why are they all so afraid? Should I have explained myself?" Her eyes dropped. "No, there was no time. Canterlot was..." Abruptly her head went skyward. Blankly, she stared at the stars and replayed her journey between Equestria's largest cities. "Only Canterlot. There were no other fires for me to put out." The next thing her gaze rested on was the setting sun. "Not here, at least."

She spread her wings and flew into the west, doubt and murmurs chasing her all the way.

* * *

_My jaw..._

Tumbling around in a world without time or dimensions should have taken up most of her concern, but all Twilight knew, right then, was those two words. She didn't even have the luxury of pain to explain to her why the entirety of her knowledge had been distilled to that set of words in particular, nor had she a hand to rub the afflicted place.

Or did she? Upon contemplation – endless, wobbly, spiraling contemplation – it became apparent that she lacked a jaw, too.

_Where am I?_

It was impossible to even begin answering that. She looked around – with eyes? No clue there either – and tried to see what she could see through the miasma. Instantly, she noted she was not alone. Not by far. Dozens of people, if they could be called that, and further still if she had any method to tell the difference either way, were floating about, passing through each other and around each other and all over the place.

No, they were certainly other human beings, but why were they all shaped so oddly? Curled into balls. Couldn't be comfortable. That is, if comfort meant anything to anyone around here. On Twilight's end, she still couldn't  _feel_  any part of her own body, much less determine the comfort level of someone else's.

_Something bad happened._

This idea bounced off her non-skull like knowledge of the sky-is-blue kind. While thinking about that, she checked for a sky. There weren't even colors in this wandering hell, much less a sky. For some reason, this fact terrified her.

But not nearly as much as the form that came past. It had a hat. A very clear hat-shaped hat, the same color as the thing/person/nightmare it sat upon.

_Applejack?_

How she longed for a throat, and lungs to hook it up to; if she'd had a pair of the latter then that name would have been screamed at the top of them. Everywhere she snapped her  _whatever she saw with_  there were people she knew. Her parents. Her brother. Trixie? Pinkie Pie? Why were they...

_No, they can't be here. Only I'm allowed to be here. Only I can get out._

The more she thought the more solid she felt. Pain returned. Her joints alerted her that she too was crammed into a ball. Stretching. Seeing, real, honest seeing. Rainbow Dash floated by. Rarity.

_No! Why are they here?!_

Every faculty regained was another mile put between her and her trapped loved ones. She clawed through space to grab them, any of them, to bring them along with her to salvation, but her fingers wouldn't catch. They got farther away until the collection looked like a pile of misshapen stars, way out of her reach.

_No, I have to help them! They're all asleep! Take me back! Take me-_

"-back!" She screamed, unfurling into her correct shape and writhing on the stage. "Take me back! I have to help them!" Hard objects jammed into her back and forced her to roll away, knees and elbows bouncing off the wood. "Let me go! Let me-" Sight finally smacked her into calm. Nothing was holding her down. "-go?"

Before she could even sit up straight the whispers poured into her ears, innumerable voices from all directions shrieking without cease and without order and without mercy.

_Help us!_

There was so much sound that she found herself looking right at the spheres scattered around and still had no idea what was happening. "P-please be quiet, I'm trying to think," she begged lowly, covering her ears. That failed to do anything. Rocking back and forth, she realized a select few of the voices actually changed in volume with her motion, but these were saying something else. "That's right, she changed us." Twilight finally got to her feet, stumbled, and nearly fell down. "Hold on. I've got to...unh, my jaw."

Almost on a whim she snapped her finger and nearly had a heart attack when Rainbow Dash uncurled from her stone state. She watched the athlete roll about much as she had.

"What the incredible fu-" Laying flat, she stared up at the ceiling. "Oh man. We're boned."

"Normally I would disagree, but..." Twilight's eyes darted around angrily. "I sure wish these people would shut up."

"Uh, what people?" Rainbow looked around to confirm they were they only two here. Her gaze saddened upon seeing Applejack's spherical form – and she knew it was her not only by color, but on some other level that defied her understanding. "'Cause, I don't see anybody but us."

"Their magic is speaking to me. I heard it faintly when I transformed the people in Canterlot Castle, but it's a  _lot_  louder now." She rubbed her temples and whined. "So much louder...why is it..."

"Whoa!" With her signature speed, Rainbow jumped to her feet and reached Twilight just as she began to topple over. "Easy, now, sit down. How long do you think we've been like this?"

Too nervous to sit, she clung on instead. "No idea. Do you have your phone?"

"Uh." Hands went in and out of her hoodie pockets several times before her numb fingers actually felt the case. "Yeah." On inspection, the phone had no charge. "Longer than a day, I know that much."

Twilight's panic began to snowball. She clutched her head and sucked in too much breath, too fast. "What If we've been gone for years?! What if the town's destroyed? What if the  _country_  is—oh no, oh no, oh no..." Her eyes began to glow.

More out of self-preservation than anything else, Rainbow grabbed her by the shoulders and shook furiously. "No! Twilight! Calm down! We need you! Your family needs you! Everybody does! You're the only one who can change them back!"

"B-but what if the world's dead outside?"

"Uh..." Utterly incapable of answering, or even  _dealing_  with the image brought by that question, she kept a firm grip on the librarian and stared right into her eyes. "We gotta handle what's in front of us first. Yeah, granted, it might be a nightmare beyond those doors, but hey – the building is standing. That means something, right?"

Twilight's eyes began to dim. "I guess so." She took a deep breath and then a step away. "I'd better get to work."

The first people she restored were her parents and Shining Armor, who had similar reactions to Rainbow Dash. The athlete bounced anxiously from foot to foot while waiting for their reunion to end. "What?" she asked Twilight, who had finally noticed her restlessness.

"I didn't forget you." Another snap brought Applejack up. The first thing she did – once the rolling and groaning had stopped – was pat her head.

"Where is my hat?" she asked, sitting up and looking around. Rainbow tackled her. "Whoa! Howdy?"

One by one, the meeting hall filled up. As she returned more people, Twilight became fearful that they would just go back to arguing. Instead, they huddled in frightened clumps with their friends and family, trying to reconstruct what had happened by bouncing memories off each other. Once everyone was back – Trixie being the last person to return, as they had a hard time finding her sphere – she gathered her five friends, Spike, and the magician and moved to a far corner.

"Where do you think she is?" Rarity asked lowly, starting the conversation off.

"No clue. There are too many people whispering for her to have just changed Ponyville, though. Depending on how much time has passed, we could have a serious problem on our hands." Twilight spent a moment trying to scratch the voices away. "So, who wants to open the doors and find out  _when_  we are?"

Everyone went silent as she said that and looked over.

Pinkie raised her hand and, though not really in a mood to smile, managed to grin anyway. "I'll do it. Follow me!" They fell in behind her and jammed the aisle, making it difficult for those in the back to see anything. Once she had her hands on the doors, she hesitated. "Uh, what if it's really bad?"

"We can't stay in here forever, there's no food," Trixie said. A murmur of agreement followed.

"Oh, yeah. True." She frowned anyway. "I'm a little scared, but here goes." With a little squeak, she threw the doors open and got smacked in the face by morning sunlight and cold air. "Well, it's still wintertime!"

They all piled outside and looked around. The snow had melted a lot, but the town was in more or less the same state that they'd left it. Buildings were still standing, cars were still parked and intact, and the world seemed to be muddling along as if nothing had happened.

"That's a relief." Rarity patted at her hair and sighed, then gasped abruptly. "Oh! Opal! We'd best go check on our pets."

"What time is it?" Trixie reached for her own phone and checked the screen. "Um, well. This is bad."

"You've still got a charge?" Twilight blinked. "What day is it?"

The magician turned her phone so everyone could see.

"Four  _days_?!" Applejack exclaimed. "Holy hell. Come on, we gotta get back ta the farm and find Winona."

Almost at once, the whole group broke up and went to tend to their homes and businesses. Only Twilight, Spike, and Trixie were left behind, standing in the cold and wondering what to do next.

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, find Winter? Organize a task force, or a posse, or...you know,  _think_  about it?" Spike asked, looking at the women.

"Let them handle what's in front of them first." The librarian winced as the whispers drilled into her brain. "I feel like the entire nation is shouting at me for help."

Trixie was busy dialing a number. "I don't hear anything." She held it up to her ear. "Here, either. I shudder to think what the state of everything is if she did this to other cities."

"I don't even know where she'd be if she isn't here! Come on. We've got to go to the library and figure out what we need to figure out." Twilight lead them all down the street and north, doubt in hot pursuit for all three.

But the whispers only chased her.


	20. We Went Up as Princesses...

Three things became apparent once they reached the library. First, there was no electricity; the interior of the tree was nearly as cold as the outside and nothing would turn on. Second, the uninterrupted layer of dust on everything indicated that nobody had been here in their absence, lending a little extra credence to a fact Twilight already knew: the whole town had been changed. Third, that nobody seemed to include Winter. She was nowhere to be found. While everyone mulled over this last fact, Rarity burst through the door, weeping and cradling three stone spheres in her arms like children.

"Help them!" she wailed in bitter distress. "I cannot undo this! Twilight!"

"Where did you find these?" Twilight approached and stooped down, placing her ear nearer. "Your family. Oh boy."

"Actually, there were more in the house than just these, but...to be honest, I didn't care." While the librarian took the spheres away, she spent a moment trying to compose herself. "I'm not sure how I knew who was who."

"Maybe by color?" Twilight examined them briefly before snapping them back into their correct forms. She watched blankly as Rarity threw herself at her family in a hug. "I can't stay here. People need me."

"Shouldn't one of us go with you?" Spike asked, glancing at the reunion.

"There's no point. I don't think Winter's here, and even if she were..." The rest of that phrase, 'she wouldn't hurt me anyway', lodged in her throat. It was no longer true; regardless of the circumstances, she would never be able to forget the viciousness of Winter's punches. She discarded the thought, looked at him, and smiled, then did the same for Trixie. "If you're restless, go into town and see who needs help with what. I'll be fine. I promise."

That turned out to be a lie the moment she got outside. The whispers tailed her relentlessly, flowing against the wind and into her ears no matter how many corners she went around. Under such stress it took her an eternity to search the buildings across the street, which were found to be empty. "I'll need a _day_ to fix Ponyville, much less any other city," she groaned, clutching at her head. "It's too much to do...it's too much..."

Before she let the panic swallow her, something Rarity said piqued her curiosity. "More than three spheres? Who else would be there?"

She went back outside and allowed her magical wings to carry her to the house. One small section of the whispering chorus became a shout – a very familiar shout – as she entered. "Ow. I hear you—wait, Cadance?" Once she located the spheres and changed them back, she stared blankly at the Princess and her guard detail. "What are you doing here?"

They exchanged a tight embrace as her security got their wits together. "I came for Shining, but I ran into Winter first. How long was I out?"

"Four days. If she did this to you, then..." Her heart raced as she realized that the same fate might have befallen the other Princesses. "Oh, crap. This is bad."

"At least most of the whispers are gone." She blinked at the odd look she got from the librarian. "What?"

"No, they're not. They're everywh—wait, you hear them too?" She crossed her arms and thought for a moment. "You must be hearing the ones close by, while I'm hearing the ones all over. Maybe you can help me search the town."

"I'm all for it. Come on." Cadance nodded to her detail, and together they ventured back outside.

Twilight had a plan in mind before they even reached the sidewalk. "I need to figure out how to restore power. I'm heading to the dam. Once I've got that figured out, we can come back and sweep the residential areas."

"I'm already way ahead of you. Guards!" she called, turning to face them. "You will search the town for small stone-like spheres and bring them all to the library tree. I will assist. Let's get started."

While they went to work, Twilight flew away, following the river up to the huge reservoir that provided the town with water and power. Too many whispers stabbed her ears for her to detect how many people might be trapped inside. "Maybe I should have brought Cadance. It'll take hours to search this thing." With a sigh, she dropped to the top of the dam and started looking for an entrance. Out here in the middle of nowhere the voices were even louder than before. They clumped into an eternal echo that battered her already anxious mind.

_Help us!_

"I am," she replied, her steps becoming ever more unsteady. "I promise, I'm coming, but I have to fix things here first. Please be patient."

The whispers either didn't hear her or didn't care. _Help us!_

"I will! I just need-" She dropped to a knee under the vocal assault. "There's too much to do!" Tears began to fall. Suddenly, she realized if Cadance could hear them, and _she_ could hear them, Winter probably could as well. Trying to picture four days worth of this ceaseless talking made her head spin and her heart race. "This might be much worse than I thought. Damn."

A door was just ahead, marked with 'employees only'. As Twilight struggled to reach it, she was worrying about the pale woman's mental state as much as her own.

* * *

Her assessment hadn't been far off. By the time she found the dam workers – all stone spheres, scattered to hell and back – and the facility was back up and running, the sun was creeping toward the western horizon. She emerged from the same door she'd entered, unfolded her wings and shot into the sky.

"Nothing stops the whispers," she groaned, closing her eyes. "Not distance, not concrete, nothing!" She could already feel her grip on reality loosening; only focus on the next task kept her grounded enough to carry on. "Library. People need m-me. Gotta help them first."

The closer she got, though, the more unsteady her flight became. It culminated in a quite ungraceful landing on the library's front stoop. Before she opened the door, she took a minute to look around. The streets were alive again with people, wandering around in groups and seeing to the shops and residences. Trixie was among them, but she didn't notice Twilight. Before she could turn around, Pinkie threw the door open and yanked her inside by the hand. "Ow! That wasn't necessary!"

"You look upset," she replied grimly – although some of the gravity of her words was lost due to the fact that Gummy was sitting on her head, looking as vacant as ever.

"I am." She looked past the baker and saw Fluttershy, seated in a chair and weeping, along with Rarity, Applejack, Cadance, and a whole pile of spheres sitting in a cleared-out section of the public space. "Get them all?"

The Princess nodded. "I've been playing hot and cold with my security ever since you left, but yes, we've found everyone."

"Great." Twilight moved over to Fluttershy and bent down. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"N-not all the animals m-made it," she sniffled, refusing to uncover her face. "I..." Whatever she meant to say next was smothered by a heartbreaking noise.

"We'll see ta her," Applejack advised gently. She nodded at Rarity, who urged the shy woman out of her chair and took her into the kitchen. "Y'all go change everyone back." She waved at the spheres before following the dressmaker.

"Right." The whispers swirled around as she stepped over to the pile, their usual shouts now mixed with dozens of other phrases in all sorts of tones and volumes. "Ugh!" Unable to take it any longer, she dropped to her knees and grabbed her head. " _Shut_ _up_!" she screamed, toppling forward onto the floor. The next time she blinked, her eyes shone white.

"Uh oh." Pinkie stumbled over, crawling the last few feet. Cadance was close behind her. "Twilight! What's happening?! Talk to me!"

"Too. Much. _Begging_." She glared over at the pile and snapped her fingers. All the spheres unfolded into people at once, which lead to some unhappy shouts from the bottom of the stack as the weight increased. What she'd done stunned her for a moment, but her brain quickly converted it to something positive. "Wait, how did I do that?"

Pinkie heaved a sigh of relief as Twilight's eyes dimmed. "Phew! I dunno, but you probably need to write it down for later. Are you okay?"

Groaning, she sat up and watched the rest of Ponyville untangle itself and ask what was going on. "No. I'm not okay at all. Winter must be in an even worse state if she's had millions of people yelling at her for four _days_."

"Oh, yeah, the whisper stuff. Speaking of Fufu, I wonder where she went." Pinkie waved at the people coming in from the kitchen, which now included the librarian's family. "We're okay! I think."

Twilight busied herself with disassembling and extracting confused people. "I have to find her as quickly as possible. If she lost her mind like I did, then...I don't know what we'll do."

"Nooooo, I'm sure she's totally fine!" She grabbed Gummy off her head and cradled him, teeth chattering. "R-right? S-she's just off hiding somewhere and waiting for one of us to show up. _Right_?"

"I don't know." Once everyone was standing, Twilight stumbled toward the kitchen, right into the arms of her parents. "What I do know is I'll never be able to sleep like this, and if I can't I'm bound to lose it again. Heaven only knows what could happen if there are _two_ insane Princesses running around."

"Let's not think about it," Applejack grumbled. "All right then, how ya wanna handle this? Should we organize a search party?"

"I'm going!" Pinkie chirped. She waved her arms for attention that most everyone had already given her anyway. "I mean, there's no way I'm _not_ going."

"I guess I'm in too." The blonde doffed her hat and fussed with her ponytail. "Ain't gonna set well with Granny and Big Macintosh, but I wanna hear Fu's explanation for this crap."

"As do I," Rarity added. She crossed her arms and looked over at the people still getting their mental cobwebs out. "And _how_ she did it, if she did actually do it."

Twilight winced and pulled at her earlobes. "Trust me, she did it." Fluttershy, deadly silent, attracted her attention. "What about you?"

Something in her eyes resembled anger as she looked up. "I'm mad at her. She needs a scolding. Yes, I'll go."

Applejack couldn't help but snort at those words. "Ha! You're a braver woman than I am!"

The next fifteen minutes were spent trying to round up the rest of the band – namely, Rainbow Dash – and by Twilight's family trying to convince her not to go. They had no hope of winning this fight; their voices were three against an infinite tidal wave of pleas that eroded the librarian's mind. By the time Rainbow Dash entered the library, Twilight was just about ready to leave her behind.

"And you call _me_ impatient?" the athlete quipped, only to be silenced by a very disturbing glare. "Uh...Twilight?"

"I don't have time for jokes. Cadance, if you wouldn't mind seeing to Ponyville until we return – if we return. If we don't, well, I guess it's up to you to build a new Equestria."

The Princess, currently on Shining Armor's arm, loosed a terrified chuckle. "Oh, sure. No pressure."

"I have issues leaving Trixie here without one of us to keep an eye on her." Rarity also got a similar look from Twilight. "Darling, I do not appreciate your expression."

"I don't have time for this either!" she shouted in reply, fists clenched. "Cadance is more than capable of keeping order. Are we going or not?!" The awkwardness of the silence – relative as it was – managed to sting her through the phantom chorus. "Sorry. See? We need to hurry. I'm already agitated."

"Let's get on with it, then." Applejack ushered everyone out the door and out from under the branches. "Where we gonna start?"

Twilight stared off toward the northeast. "Canterlot. Even if Winter isn't there, I need Celestia's and Luna's help to undo what she's done." She pulled her wings, as did Rainbow and Fluttershy, and grabbed those who couldn't fly with her magic. In a moment more they were off, streaking through the sky like bullets.

* * *

They didn't quite make it.

Twilight's flying had started wobbly and got much worse. Her unsteadiness became noticeable not long after they departed Ponyville, but now, within sight of Canterlot, the librarian was tracing a drunken path through the air that almost saw Applejack and Rarity bounce off a few trees.

"Never thought I'd hear myself say this, but d'ya mind pullin' up?!" Applejack yelled, white as a sheet and ready to faint.

Rarity agreed less gracefully while flailing her arms and screaming. " _Twiliiiiiiiiiiiight_! We are going to die!"

Behind those three, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were carrying Pinkie Pie. The baker had seen the writing on the wall much earlier, and asked to be moved by some other means. "Twilight! Land! You're making me sick just watching you do loops!"

She heard none of it; the whispers were too loud. "Got to...get there..." The city plate hung above them, but to her it might as well have been the unreachable Moon. She looked down and deposited her passengers in a snowy clearing before pulling up and away. Seconds later, her wings sputtered and failed. Just as the rest arrived to see to Applejack and Rarity, they all watched her tumble from the sky and crash into a stand of pines.

"Damn!" Rainbow helped get Pinkie on the ground before shooting off to find her. "Where are you?! Twilight? Can you hear me?"

All that reached her ears was a swirl of pain and disembodied pleading. She bumped up against a tree trunk while trying to crawl; the impact was the last straw. By the time Rainbow came upon her, she'd curled up into a ball and given up on everything.

"Twilight!" She dropped to her knees and tried to shake sense into her. "What happened?! Talk to me!"

"Voices...won't...you have to find Celestia and Luna and bring them to me. I have to change them back before I die."

The athlete officially began to freak out. "Why are you going to die?!" she shrieked, jostling Twilight even harder.

"Won't stop begging..." Her pupils shrank to pinprick size. "No escape..."

"Fuck me running." Rainbow grabbed her and carried her back to the others, using terror and adrenaline to move the weight. "Watch her! I gotta go!"

"Where?" Applejack asked. She hardly got the word out before her girlfriend shot up toward the plate. "The hell is goin' on?"

Pinkie sat down with the librarian and yanked her into a hug – or at least she tried. Moving her was like trying to wrangle a statue. "Uh, guys? I think Twilight is broken."

What confronted Rainbow when she crested the plate was a smoldering ghost of a city. Some of the skyscrapers emitted gentle snorts of smoke whenever the wind picked up, though none produced flames. At least, not as far as she could tell. She wasn't really looking while flying around like a bat out of hell. As time passed, her heart rate got as fast as her wings. "Oh man, oh man, oh man, castle castle castle, gotta get to the castle."

Her rush was such that she couldn't even be bothered to find a door once she got there; after throwing her arms up and bracing, she rammed and crashed through a stained-glass window. Her momentum nearly splatted her against the marble wall opposite, but somehow her wings flared in time. "Oh man. Oh man. I don't even know what the fuck they would look like as spheres!"

Desperation fell away in the face of something much, much worse as she went room to room. All the stony balls she found didn't strike her as Princess-like, but the sheer number of them made her blood run cold. If they were in this haystack, it would take her hours, at _least_ , to find them. It was time she didn't have, and that only added to her stress. "Fuck! Fuck! Where do I fucking _look_?!"

Tears began to flow. Despite her distress, as she ran past the open doors of the throne, something got her attention. When she finally stopped herself, came back, and stood before the doorway, her emotion disappeared into the abyss beyond. Nothing was visible. There should have been evening light coming in through the windows, but there was none. It was like staring into the blackest possible night. "What the..." She tried reach into the darkness, but her fingers hit something solid. "Huh? As she pressed her fingers against it, she felt it twitch. She screamed and turned away.

Any attempt to run or fly was stopped by thrashing black tentacles that wrapped around her waist and tugged her through. Once inside the throne room, she was released and fell on what felt like a stone floor. There was no light at all. "Fu! I know it's you!" she yelled, crawling blindly in the dark. Her voice bounced a million times – the room _sounded_ as huge as she remembered, at least. "Fu! Please! I gotta find the Princesses before Twilight goes insane!"

Suddenly, two harshly glowing points of turquoise light stabbed through the dark. As Rainbow's sight adjusted, she saw Winter perched on the throne, hands grasped tightly to the ends of the armrests. Her eyes seemed to be on fire, their light was so strong. "Oh. It's you," she murmured, mostly toneless at first.

"What the fu—of course it's me!" Rainbow got to her feet and stormed over to the base of the stairs. "Fu, come on! Please! Help me!"

"She changed you back, didn't she?"

New levels of impatience were being introduced to her with each passing second, if her restless movements were any indication. "Twilight? Yeah, what about it? If you don't let me go or tell me what you did with Celestia and Luna, she's gonna...well, I don't know what exactly, but it'll probably be bad!"

"The voices?" Winter's face softened with the athlete's confirmation. "Bring her here."

"Why? You know what, never mind, I'll take it. Better than what I'm trying to do at the moment." Rainbow screamed out of the hole opened for her and through the castle, back to the destroyed window and outside again. She dove headlong past the plate and right at where she thought she'd left her friends.

"Dashie! Over here!" Pinkie waved her arms and bounced furiously as she got close. "Twilight passed out!"

"But she's still breathin', at least," Applejack added, greeting her as she landed. "What's goin' on?"

Rainbow cinched up her hood to keep the cold away and moved toward Twilight, who was lying against a seated Rarity. "I found Fu, but I'm gonna have to leave you guys here for now. Shy, I need you to help me carry Twilight up to the castle."

"M-me?" she squeaked, drawing up with anxiety. "B-but I c-can't carry people."

"You'll be with me. We can do it." Rainbow pulled Twilight into a standing position and hugged her. "Come on." As Fluttershy grabbed on to the librarian's free side, she gave apologetic glances to the other girls. "I'm sorry. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Go, we'll manage," Rarity assured them, dusting snow off her boots. She cast a worried look at the evening sky. "For the moment, at least."

They lugged Twilight's limp body into the air. "Where is Winter?" Fluttershy asked, trying to keep herself from panicking and losing her grip.

Rainbow's eyes and concentration were on the city above them. "In the castle. She did something to the throne room."

"A-are we taking Twilight to her?"

Her face darkened. "Yeah, because we're out of options." Out of nowhere, though, a smile appeared. "I'm not worried. Fu didn't try to kill me or anything. I think she's fine."

The shy woman scowled so deep her teeth were visible. "I'm scared."

Out of instinct, Rainbow's grip tightened on Twilight. "I know. Don't look down. Don't even look to the side."

"That's not why I'm scared."

Progress was achingly slow, but steady. By the time they threaded Twilight through the broken window and entered the castle, the sunset was well underway. Rainbow lead them, feeling around in the darkness until she saw the throne room entrance again.

As before, she pressed her hands against what appeared to be an empty doorway to Fluttershy. "Wh-what are you doing?" She let out an ear-shattering shriek when the black ropes pulled them inside.

Winter deposited her captives a little more gently this time. Once Twilight passed the black barrier, she sensed her spark immediately and rose from the throne. "She won't be able to hear them in here."

"Okay. Cool. That's fine." Rainbow helped Fluttershy lay her down and finally relaxed. "Where the hell have you been, Fu?"

The pale woman walked up to them, casting a mixed-color glow from her hands. She stared at the unconscious Twilight. "I spent a while trying to hunt down stragglers, but the voices of the fallen became too strong. The sludge took over and brought me to the highest altitude it could manage."

"Wow, all the way up here?" Any answer was prevented by Winter noticing Fluttershy's tense stance. Rainbow also looked at her and blinked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Mmph." She turned away from the pale woman and crossed her arms.

"Oooookay." With a shrug, she turned her attention back. "I can't believe you changed everybody." A glance down revealed a thin black string running from Winter's elbow to the floor, but she said nothing about it.

"You're not the only one." She dropped to a knee and poked at Twilight. "I couldn't have managed it without absorbing some of her power."

"Scary." Rainbow sat down and rested her chin in her hands. Fluttershy continued to keep her back turned to Winter. "You got something to talk about, Shy?"

"I'm m-mad at her." Had the room not been such an echo chamber, those words would have been inaudible.

Winter's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Mmph!" The shy woman clammed up again and looked away.

Rainbow cocked a brow at her, then looked back at the pale woman. "You two can handle it some other time. What did you do with Celestia and Luna?"

"I'm not telling you."

"B-but you have to!" Fluttershy gasped, approaching with Rainbow. "There are pets out there without food and water!"

"I didn't care about the animals!" Winter snapped. Her voice bounced harshly around the room. "I cared about stopping the war _I_ caused!" Both of them withdrew several steps, almost out of range of the light she was casting. Their fear made her frown and slump. "I'm sorry."

"You're, uh, a little grumpy. How long have you been here?" Rainbow asked with unusual gentleness.

"I don't know. I passed out and now I have no frame of reference." She turned her back on them and went to sit in the throne.

Fluttershy looked around, terrified by the inky darkness. "Why didn't you leave a window open?"

"Their sound would leak in and find me," she sighed. "I can't leave. I risk insanity if I do."

"Are you _trapped_?!" Rainbow made it all the way up the steps this time and confronted Winter directly. "How are we supposed to fix this if you and Twilight can't fly around and get anywhere?!"

No emotion was in her eyes, or in her tone, as she responded. "There is no fixing it."

"A-are y-you serious?" Rainbow grabbed at her head and walked back down. "How are we gonna get home? What are we supposed to do with Twilight? What about Equestria?" She followed the quiet sounds of Fluttershy's sobs and clamped on in a hug. "I know, I feel like crying too. Fuck."

Groaning from the floor drew all their eyes. Twilight sat up slowly, rubbing her temples. "Oh, my head." Her eyes shot wide open. "The voices! They're gone! Rainbow, what did you do? Did you find them? Why is it so dark?" She stumbled to her feet and walked around. "H-hello? Where am I?"

"Twilight."

"Huh? Winter?" Her sight adjusted to the pall at last. "I'm really confused." The emotional states of Rainbow and Fluttershy only made it worse. "Why are you crying? Where the heck are we?"

The athlete pointed toward the throne. "You tell her."

"Tell me what?" She walked closer and looked up. "Winter? Did you change everyone back? Why do you have a throne?"

"I haven't changed anyone back. The sludge is absorbing their voices. As long as we stay in here, we can't hear them."

"But we can't stay in here." Twilight looked around and got only silence in return. "What are you not telling me?"

Rainbow ran a shaky hand through her hair and sighed. "Those voices were strong enough to knock Fu out, too. The sludge brought her here, sealed up the room, and now she's trapped. We're trapped. Everyone but Ponyville is fucking trapped."

"I...no, we're not trapped. Someone has to go find Princess Celestia. Did you change her?" Her tiny smile was murdered by Winter's absolute lack of response. "Well, did you?"

She glanced away. "Yes, I did."

Twilight's smile returned and got a little brighter to boot. "I figured. Rainbow can find her and bring her back. Once she's changed back, she can go outside and start restoring order." Uncertain mumbles from Rainbow and Fluttershy seared her ears. "Geez, contain your enthusiasm."

"What's to say the voices wouldn't drive her insane too?" the athlete asked. Fluttershy began sobbing again.

"Um, I...well...uh..." Realization set in and dragged her down to sit on the floor. "Cadance heard them. If the hearing range is based on how powerful you are, you might have a point."

Rainbow brought the shy woman over and sat with her. "Like I said, we're fucked."

Despite everything, the librarian refused to give up. "No we're not. We just have to find some way to work around fifteen million people screaming at us."

"I'm not changing them back."

They looked up at Winter with stunned faces. "You have to!" Twilight demanded frantically. "They can't stay this way forever! Everything will fall apart!"

Her plea did nothing to dent the pale woman's resolve. She glared down. "Better they slumber in eternity than die in a war of my own making."

"It's not your fault!" She dashed up the steps and dropped to her knees in front of the throne. "Luna started it. Not you."

"Do you really think she would have admitted anything if I hadn't barged in?" Winter frowned as she watched Twilight struggle for an answer. "Of course not."

"But...damn it." Mind racing, she tried to find some way to break through her argument before it became circular. Rainbow Dash stood up beside her, which made her blink with confusion. "Where are you going?"

"To see if me and Shy can haul the rest of the girls up here. They're gonna freeze if we just leave them." She offered Fluttershy a hand up. "Besides, this is between you two anyway. No point in us staying."

Twilight's voice dropped to a whisper. "And you don't think you could help me try to convince her?"

For some reason, a grin appeared. "Nope! Hey, Fu, where's the door?"

Winter pointed a beam of light to direct them. "Follow the light." When they reached the black wall, a vertical slit appeared. "Hurry, before it starts again."

"Hurry? Did you forget who you're talking to? We're out." With a wave, Rainbow pulled Fluttershy out as the slit grew in width. Once they passed through, it zipped up again silently.

"Did I just get ditched?" Twilight grumpily folded her arms and looked around, only to be faced with impenetrable darkness in every direction except the throne. "Unbelievable." Grumbling, she walked back down and sat at the base of the stairs. Still unable to think of some way around Winter's words, she chose to change the subject. "I can't believe you had enough gunk to coat the whole room."

"You helped." When she looked back for an explanation, Winter allowed her hand to light up with a raspberry glow. "When you tried to kill me, I sucked up your magic. You have no idea how powerful you are. Your magic helped me change everyone. It helped me generate all this sludge."

Twilight stared at it for a while before something clicked. "So, this is all my fault then," she stated, turning away.

The pale woman tilted her head. "What? No, it's my fault."

"Noooot really." She got up and paced around almost jovially. "I mean, if you transformed everyone using _my_ magic, then it's my fault. You probably couldn't have done it otherwise, right? So I'm at fault."

Winter stood up, her stance unhappy and tense. "Stop shifting the blame. I did it! Not you!"

"No, _you_ stop shifting the blame!" In a flash Twilight was in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Why do you insist on taking so much of it?! People aren't killing each other because of you, they're doing it because of Celestia's lies!" Those words tore at her heart on their way out. "Agh, it hurts to hear myself admit that." She tried to make eye contact, but the pale woman refused. "Damn it! It's not your fault! You _know_ it isn't!"

She wouldn't speak, either.

In response, the librarian started shaking her. "Winter! Look at me! Stop blaming yourself! Stop it!"

"I need to be punished!" she snapped, screaming so loud that Twilight nearly tumbled backwards down the stairs in terror. " _This_ is my punishment. A life in a black box, alone, forever."

"Winter..." She watched, helpless, as the woman moved past her and down the steps. "Why do you think you need to be punished?"

"I cannot believe you're asking me that question. You know what I've done." Her voice wavered so badly, Twilight knew she was crying. "Thousands of people are dead because of me."

One more look around the black room provided Twilight with a horrifying truth; at this rate, when it all ended, the toll would be one name longer. Winter planned to die here, and there was no clear way to convince her otherwise. As she listened to her weep, she corrected her thought. Two names longer. The voices had them trapped. Completely overwhelmed, all she could do was consider what the end might look like. Would it be this place, black and empty? Would it be heaven or hell? Would it be like...

Her eyes bulged. This idea might cost her dearly, but it was the only hope she had for either of them to escape their ebony tomb. "You didn't save anyone," she said lowly, approaching as she spoke.

The weeping stopped cold. "What did you say?" A very subtle edge was in Winter's voice.

"You didn't save anyone!" Twilight repeated, louder. "Do you even know what it's like to be trapped in the wrong form?" She got just as angry, though her emotion was more outwardly vivid. "You killed them! They aren't _alive_! You tried to atone for your sins by basically killing everyone in fucking sight! You are the worst murderer in human history!"

Winter snatched her by the throat and held her aloft. "How _dare_ you."

"Being a stone isn't life," she wheezed, grabbing her arm with both hands. Just as much effort was spent stifling her panic response as was trying to convince Winter of anything. "They're not alive. If they're not alive, they're dead."

She started to squeeze, so angry her eyes barely worked. "How could you say that...I didn't..." Her grip weakened as the truth sank in. Abruptly, she dropped the librarian and stumbled away, screaming and clutching her head. " _I've killed_ _them_ _all_!"

While Twilight gasped for air, she saw Winter contort with emotion until finally dropping to her knees, then onto her side. The sobs were so vicious, she was afraid to go over at first. At last, she forced herself to move and crawled over. "It's okay."

There was a brand new glitter of emotion in her eyes: defeat. "How is it okay? You're the only one that could undo my work and I've pulled you into my grave. It's not okay, it's _over_."

Her head dipped in admittance of that fact, but rose again with a defiant smile. "We got here, we can get back. All we need to do is figure out how."

Winter pulled herself up and wiped at her face. "How can you be so optimistic?"

"Two words: Pinkie Pie." They shared a little laugh. "Come on! Let's brainstorm! If the sludge stops the voices, can't you just wear it like you did when we fought?"

She shook her head and sniffled. "I tried using it as armor, but the layer was too thin. If I make it any thicker, it'll absorb your magic as soon as it leaves my hand and I won't be able to do anything."

"Crap." Twilight gently banged her head on the floor. "We're the most powerful people, like, ever! There has to be some way out of here!"

"If Rainbow hadn't left, I could have told her where I put the Princesses." She folded her arms and glowered off. "Why is that woman so impatient?"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Seriously. I'm going to slap her after we get this settled. Ugh! Think, Twilight! What can we do?!"

"We really are stuck." Winter plucked at the rope of sludge connecting herself to the black shell and frowned. "Until someone comes back, at least." Her arm twitched. "Hm?"

"What?"

A slit appeared again as she manipulated the wall. Rainbow fell through it first, followed by Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and a completely exhausted-looking Fluttershy. "I suppose the cavalry is here."

"Fufu!" Pinkie hurled herself at the woman in a hug. "Wow. This place is scary." She paused to dig at an ear with her finger. "And _loud_."

"What in the world?" Rarity squinted into the darkness and gasped. "I'd ask how you accomplished this, but when it comes to you, why bother? Are you all right?"

"No. I'm stuck." She nodded over at Twilight. "We're stuck. We can't leave without risking serious mental damage."

Applejack doffed her hat and, like Rarity, tried to see past the abyss. "Then how're we gonna fix everybody?"

"Same plan as before." Twilight stood up and puffed out her chest authoritatively. "Winter is going to tell Rainbow where the Princesses are. She'll bring them back here, we'll change them, then we'll see if the voices affect them as they do us. If not, we're out of the woods."

"And if so?" Rarity asked, hand on hip.

"We're back to square one. But we won't give up. I'm sure Princess Celestia has experience with this. I wish I didn't have to assume that, but at this point who knows what else she's been lying about." A sharp sigh passed through her lips. "I am going to give her a severe talking to."

"Fine, fine, we'll do it your way." Rainbow drew her hoodie tight again as she groaned. "I'll pick up some food for us too. Guess we're staying the night."

"Guess so." Applejack went over to Winter and smiled down – and around Pinkie, who was still draped all over her. "Every time I think 'nah, Fu can't do that', y'all just kick my assumption right in the face."

"Mm. It appears my foresight is inversely proportional to my ability." She drooped in the baker's embrace. "I'm sorry. I've really screwed up."

"Aw, hell, happens ta the best of us. Even Dash. _Especially_ Dash." Everyone giggled as Applejack nudged her muttering girlfriend in the side. "I reckon we'd best get ta work."

"You reckon _I'd_ best get to work, you mean." She looked at Winter for instruction. "Well, where are they?"

"In the lobby of the hotel we stayed in my first trip here."

The athlete was off just afterward, leaving the rest to try and get accustomed to what the pale woman had done to the throne room. "I suppose _black_ is the new black," Rarity commented, wincing each time her heels struck the floor and caused noise that bounced everywhere. "Could you perhaps soften the walls a bit, darling?"

"I think it's hilarious!" Pinkie got up and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hellooooooooooooooo!" Even she grimaced at the harshness of the echoes. "Maybe Rare has a point."

Twilight smiled at the exchange for a moment, but her face dropped. "Girls, I think we need to talk about what happened in the meeting hall. Are we still split?"

"I'm just happy ta be alive, frankly." Applejack blinked at Winter's reaction. "What?"

She looked away and frowned. "Nothing. Just something Twilight said."

Rarity clapped her hands sharply – and instantly regretted doing so – then walked back to the group. "Let's put all that behind us. We've a country to save."

"Yeah." Twilight waved her hand to cast some light into the ink. "I shouldn't have to, but I hope Rainbow hurries up." They all sat together in a little clump to wait, using the librarian as a makeshift campfire.


	21. ...And Came Down as Sisters

Twilight attributed her comparison of this place to a tomb due to her emotions at the time – or so she'd thought. Since there was no light coming in, nor features to contemplate beyond the women around her, and worse, no way to tell the hour, it _was_ a tomb. The outside world may as well have been another dimension entirely. With that backdrop, every second Rainbow Dash remained away seemed a hundred times longer. Applejack and Fluttershy were the most affected by this fact: the blonde was especially fidgety, although how much of her restlessness was due to the unsettling surroundings and not her missing girlfriend, she couldn't guess.

"I wish she'd hurry up," the blonde finally muttered. "Runnin' outta time."

"She hasn't been gone that long, has she?" Rarity searched their faces for confirmation that they couldn't provide. "I've lost track. It's dreadfully gloomy in here. And I feel separated from, well, everything." She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. "I wish I could charge this. At least we'd have a clock."

"No kidding," Twilight agreed. "I didn't think a place could be so _quiet_. All I can hear is you girls and my heartbeat." Her gaze went over to Winter, seated on her right and just as silent as the atmosphere. "Feeling any better?"

Her posture slumped a bit. "I don't know what I feel like right now."

"Oh. I guess I understand why." Not knowing what to say, she turned her attention elsewhere. "I wonder how Cadance is doing with Ponyville." The muffled, noncommittal noises she got in reply didn't surprise her – except in Rarity's case. "What, not going to complain about Trixie being out of our sight?"

"There are bigger things to worry about now, don't you think? At any rate, I still need to recover from the _trip._ " Her tone was slightly awkward; she also refused to make eye contact.

Applejack gave her a gentle pat on the back. "Nearly dyin' will do that to ya. I didn't much appreciate it none either, but we got here in one piece."

"I'm sorry. I think what happened to Winter happened to me. If I'd known it was coming, I wouldn't have brought you along." She looked at the pale woman for a reaction, but got none. "Mrm. Seriously, Rainbow, I wish you'd get back here." Winter twitched abruptly and looked over her shoulder, which made Twilight look as well. A slit appeared, through which the athlete stumbled. Her arms were full – mostly of bags – but two large spheres tumbled from them until Twilight shrieked and grabbed them with her magic. "It's them!" she yelled, floating the objects over. "Wow, they're screaming. Especially Celestia."

Winter, wincing at their noise, rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "She might be a little angry with me."

"Oh. Right." Twilight set the spheres a distance away and snapped her fingers.

The elder sister unfurled with a furor, hands flaring up as she stood and looked for her target. "Where is she?!" she bellowed, making everyone in earshot wince except the pale woman herself. "You! I'm going to-"

Unmoved, Winter folded her arms and looked away. "You aren't going to do a damn thing."

Before Celestia could explode again, Luna tugged on her dress. "Sister, perhaps we should get our bearings first." With a sweep of her arm, she indicated the void that surrounded them. "I fear we may be in the afterlife, given the lack of – anything, really."

"Y'all ain't dead, Fu done redecorated the throne room is all." Applejack managed to chuckle weakly. "What's in the bags, Dash?"

"I robbed like, six gas stations for food on the way back here." She sat down cross-legged amongst the group and started sorting her haul. "Wait, am I going to get thrown in prison for this?"

Celestia regarded her fearful look with mild disdain. "No. Who would jail you? Winter's killed Equestria." She took slow, unhappy steps around the room, lighting up her way with brilliant golden flames from her crystals. "You must be joking. Where did you get all this goop?"

"Blame Twilight." Winter stood up. "We need your help."

The Princess turned to face her, arms crossed. "With?"

"Undoing my damage. Twilight and I can't leave this room. The voices will drive us insane. If you're strong enough to break the magic I used, but weak enough to not hear everyone crying for help, then..."

"Oh." Her face dropped, as did Luna's. "The sludge is absorbing the noise. I had hoped one of you already fixed things." She nudged her sister in the side and sighed. "How do we get out?"

They all pointed toward the direction of the doorway. Celestia and Luna walked until they ran into the wall. "This is fine work. I did well," the latter said, running her fingertips against the ebony substance. "Hm. I suppose we'd better see what's outside."

"An awful mess, no doubt." Her muttering continued as Winter pried open a space in the wall.

The voices rushed in like a flood and battered them. They stumbled away, clutching the sides of their heads and squealing curses. Twilight moved like a shot to their side, but nobody else, despite being startled, would approach. "How loud were they?" the librarian asked worriedly.

"Seemed like half the country," Luna groaned, rubbing at her ears. "I could hardly stand it even for a moment."

"Like I told you guys, we're fucked," Rainbow interjected with hands on her hips. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Brilliant terror settled in Twilight's chest. "I, uh...give me a minute. Just..." Her teeth clenched. "I..."

"I have an idea."

They all turned to Winter with curious looks. "Let's hear it, darling," Rarity encouraged. "We certainly cannot stay huddled up in here until the end of time."

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed, her mouth full of chips she'd pilfered from Rainbow's haul. "Take charge!"

Like a ghost, she drifted through the crowd and toward the black wall. She placed her hand on it. "I have to retract the shell."

"Wh-what?" Twilight ran up and turned her around. "Winter, no! It's a miracle you're still mentally intact in the first place!"

She looked past and directed a bitter expression right at Celestia and Luna. "I was born of insanity...why not let it end me? Maybe I can trigger a powerful enough response to do something useful on the way." A grunt followed those words as Pinkie collided with her in a hug. "I knew you'd do that."

"Bad Fufu! Stop trying to kill yourself!" she scolded harshly. "Like, seriously! Stop!"

"I'm kinda with her," Applejack nodded. "Ain't no use in goin' out there when ya know you're gonna get messed up. Let's think of somethin' else."

Twilight's stomach twisted itself into a knot. "I know what this is. More punishment." She looked at everyone else only briefly, stung by their worried curiosity. Her eyes went to the pale woman. "Forget it. No changing your mind?"

Her eyes grew incredibly hard. "No."

"Fine. I'm going with you." She waved off the horrified clamor behind her and crossed her arms. "Nope. I've decided. She used some of my power to do this. I have a responsibility to help her fix it."

Winter grumbled lowly and rubbed her eyes. "As stubborn as a mule." She glanced over her shoulder and allowed her face to screw up with thought. "We should turn them back and let everyone else go."

"Again?" Luna groaned. Her sister was silent and resigned. "Very well, I suppose. But if something happens to you two, what then?"

"I'd be lying if I said I knew, but what other option do we have?" Twilight snapped her mentor back into a sphere without a second thought, then did the same to Luna. "All right. How do we want to do this?"

If she were nervous, her voice betrayed nothing. "The rest of you go once the door is clear."

"This is the worst possible idea ever!" Rarity shouted. "Why are you doing this?!"

"What can I say? We're at the end of our ropes." Twilight nodded as Fluttershy picked up the spheres. "Pinkie. You have to go."

Her grip on Winter only got tighter. "No! I got a seriously bad feeling about this!" She squealed unhappily while being pried loose. "No! Lemme go!"

Applejack grabbed her around the waist and carried her away. "Come on, Pinkie. Let 'em try for a minute, at least."

"But but but but but but!" Her chant echoed and caused a strange sort of feedback that made everyone cringe. "Ow. That felt weird."

"No use putting it off any longer." Twilight nodded once at Winter, who nodded once in return. "Yank it. Girls, get ready to run."

She dropped to her knees and placed her palms on the floor. The cord connecting her to the room withdrew, while the sludge beneath them seemed to melt. It lurched about with an awful series of squishy noises. The room uncovered itself in reverse order – ceiling first, then walls, then the floor. Rarity and Fluttershy jumped and screamed as the goop moved under their shoes. The voices flooded in just as soon as a large enough hole appeared in the ceiling.

"Get out!" Twilight ordered, already wobbly and clutching her head. Whether or not they obeyed was beyond her detection. Everything fell away in the face of the flood. "Why are they so much louder now?!"

"All the displaced magic I've been holding back is finding us again," Winter hissed, unable to straighten up. In short order she toppled sideways and lay on the floor, grimacing. "It _really_ wants us to put it back."

Twilight had to scream her response – at least, she felt like she had to. "I would _really_ love to do that but it won't let me! It won't even let me move!" Her body crumpled into a ball. " _Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh_!"

Out of their sight, in the doorway, stood Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash, frozen by fear and confusion. "Sh-should we help them?" the athlete asked.

"We shouldn't even still be here," Applejack replied anxiously. "But damn, I can't just _leave_ 'em!" A tap on the shoulder made her jump. "Rarity?"

"I could not agree more." She stepped aside to allow Fluttershy to join their group. "Still..." Watching Twilight and Winter contort in apparent agony robbed her of her voice for a moment. "This is terribly hard to watch."

"Th-they need a hug," Pinkie whined. Applejack had to keep her from bolting over. "What? We can't help them? They need us, AJ!"

"There might be some things only they can do." Fluttershy squeaked as they all looked over. "U-um...n-not that I'm saying I don't _want_ to help, just that we might not be able to."

"I th-think I'm dying," Twilight moaned weakly. Thought was squeezed out of her brain until only whispering remained. "O-ow..."

"I liked having friends like you," Winter mumbled, hardly able to speak. Her body wriggled along the carpet, eventually ending up next to the librarian. "Maybe it was more than I deserved."

"Please stop talking in past-tense, it's really depres-" The word flattened out into a long, throaty groan of pain. She had to gasp to draw enough breath to speak afterward. "I just went blind."

Winter nodded, her eyes closed because they too had become useless. "They're heavy. We're being crushed."

Rainbow and Applejack were needed to hold Pinkie back now. She caterwauled as loudly as they'd ever heard her, but the women on the floor had no idea she was even there. "I ain't likin' this much," the blonde called. "Maybe we need ta..." Suddenly, they were screaming too. "Fuck it! I done had enough!" She released the baker and ran over with her to Twilight. "Twi! Say somethin'!"

"Fufu!" Pinkie dropped prone beside her and looked into her face. Her ears rattled with the shrieking, but she kept trying to shake Winter out of her apparent panic. "Fufu! Stop!" Not even with Rarity's help could she make the pale woman be still. Applejack and Rainbow had similar issues with Twilight until they finally backed off, wincing from being struck with random fists.

"Damn! She hits hard for an egghead!"

"What are we supposed to do?!" Fluttershy yelled.

Abruptly, they were still and silent. While trying to roll them over, Applejack and Pinkie found them to be as stiff as statues. "What just happened? Fufu?"

The hair on the dressmaker's neck was standing up. She stumbled to her feet and backed away. "I think we need to leave."

"Fine, I'll carry one. Pinkie, y'all carry the other." Rarity's frantic motions of denial made the blonde's face twist. "What? Ya said we needed ta go."

"Yes, but we can't take _them_ with us." Something icy and searing flowed through her veins; it was like panic, but much more intense – and extremely unfamiliar. An overriding demand to keep her hands tightly shut blared in her brain. "It isn't safe."

"Dude, we can't. They're..." Rainbow choked on her words for a moment. "I think they might be dead."

"I can assure you, they are _not_ dead." As desperate as she looked, Rarity was unable to make herself run out alone. "At least back up!" Her eyes darted around. "Wh-what is that noise?"

Everyone's ears pricked, but nobody else detected anything. "What noise?" Pinkie asked, head tilted. She caught Rainbow and Fluttershy squirming, scratching furiously at their shoulder blades.

"Itchy?" the shy woman breathed. "N-now it f-feels like my skin is on fire!"

Applejack stood up and took in the situation. "Are y'all havin' a nervous breakdown or somethin'?" She yelped loudly when a pricking sensation began to assault her fingers. Pinkie did the same a few seconds later. "What the hell?!"

"Like I said, we need to _go_." Rarity ushered them toward the doorway. "Come on! Come on! Hurry!" Just as they reached it, a source of light from behind made them stop and look.

Twilight and Winter were upright, eyes shining. Their faces were blank, and they still seemed like statues, but something around them was moving that the girls could just barely detect. The air around and above them was warped and bent, like heat haze coming off a highway in the summer sun, and had a very faint whitish glow. The longer their sight remained on the two women, the more terrified they felt until their legs took over and propelled them outside and down the hallway.

"I see it." Winter moved a hand through the empty air deliberately.

"Me too." Twilight copied her motion. What they saw were bright filaments of light – millions of them, all converging where they sat like a massive spider web. Whenever their fingers passed through one, it would break for an instant and reform. "Everyone. _Everyone._ Now I have something to aim at." She looked at the crystals on her hands as they pulsed with light. "I'm going to need what you took, please."

"Okay." Instinct drove the pale woman – or something close, at least. They stood up and held hands, placing their crystals in direct contact with each other. Twilight's magic seeped through her veins and into her palms before returning home. "It burns a little."

"I bet." The librarian's eyes glowed more fiercely. "So much power." Grimacing, she focused on the tendrils and tried to grab them, like she were using telekinesis. A raspberry pulse escaped from thousands of points on her skin and followed some of them. But not all. "Not enough..." She reached into herself and called on all her strength. "Need more. Wait..." To her shock, she found a bottomless well of might. Panic set in again. "Too much! Too much!" Shrieking with terror, she tried to pull away.

Winter wouldn't let her. "Relax."

"Okay, okay." Another million bolts of raspberry light traveled along the tendrils in the air. "Better. Need more. I've got more...I've got so much more."

Her eyebrow cocked at the change in tone. "Twilight?"

She had been looking up at the ceiling, mouth open as if in shock. After Winter spoke, she looked down and into her face. "They were right to build you."

The blue glow departed, leaving her eyes to shine with confusion instead. "Why are you saying this?"

A cackle slipped out, not inherently evil, but disquieting all the same. "I could rewrite the planet." Her eyes were still alight, but their fire was changing color from white to her own shade of magic. "I wonder how she knew I had so much power?"

Winter squinted with uncertainty and gripped Twilight's hands a little tighter. "Focus. There are people to save."

Somehow she managed to slide her fingers free and turn away. "Watch!" A snap of her fingers sent out another series of pinkish pulses. "Two million, give or take a few. All changed. Instantly. It's _nothing_ to me, Winter. I'm not a Princess, I'm a goddess."

The chorus of anguish lost a lot of its potency with her action. "I can't say I disagree with you." She looked around until Twilight began to walk in circles. "What are you doing?"

"I can't control it!" she snarled, glaring over with bared teeth and bulging eyes. Haze flowed off her in waves as the light from her eyes intensified. "I can't learn to handle this. I can't even learn to _quantify_ it. I'm dangerous."

That was enough. She started to approach slowly. "Twilight..."

"Get away from me." When she bristled, the emotion was manifested in increased magical shimmer. Winter wouldn't stop coming, so it grew and grew until the power leaking from her body began to fracture the stone. A massive crack formed under her shoes and raced toward and up the nearest wall. "You can't stop me. I can't be stopped. I won't be stopped. I have to be stopped!"

Stilled by her frantic shrieking, Winter paused. Twilight was shedding so much magic that the building shook around them. Dust from the ceiling fell like snow. One of the stained glass windows behind the throne gave way with a deafening shatter.

"I am the end of the world," she moaned in stereo. "Of time and space. Of existence." She raised her hands slowly to the sky. "I am the embodiment of—what?"

Winter had used her speech to dart over and grab her by the wrists. Black ropes slithered out of her palms and pressed their tips against her crystals. "I'm going to help you calm down."

Twilight flashed a bitter sneer. "Are you planning to hit me again? I'll pull you apart, molecule by molecule. I'd advise against it."

"No. I have a better idea." Squeezing tightly, she covered the jewels with the black gunk. As soon as their contact was complete, it began to absorb magic at an alarming rate. "Agh! It burns!"

"Damn you! Not again!" Her power hissed bitterly at being split, but Winter continued to maintain her hold. After a minute, she stopped struggling. "I feel weird." The building around them settled down, although a chunk of the ceiling came loose and crashed down nearby. "They need me still."

The pale woman, now hunched over in pain, could barely nod in affirmation. "I'll hold this...this, for you." Her body felt like it was being dipped into molten iron. "Hurry. Please."

Twilight bared teeth again, this time in concentration. "Thank you."

Another, grander pulse of raspberry light emerged, encompassing both women on its way out of the castle and to the far corners of the country. It was the last thing Winter saw before losing consciousness. The sludge remained connected, however, sucking up excess power until it hardened and broke with a loud crack. After falling backward, the pale woman lay on the floor, motionless, with waves of what Twilight swore was smoke wafting off her skin.

* * *

"I reckon we're alive."

"No, really?"

Fluttershy poked Applejack and Rainbow Dash to prevent them from bickering any further, then squeaked in terror when they looked at her. "S-sorry. What was that light?"

The blonde shrugged. "I dunno. Least the castle stopped shakin'." They all got up off the floor and dusted themselves off. To their left was one of the double doors that lead out to the garden. Pinkie approached and opened it.

"Hey! All the people are back!" she said, waving out the doorway. "Hi!"

Rarity bounced on her feet and clapped. "They did it! Let's go back and check on them!" The building issued another loud noise, although it sounded and felt far away. "And we'd better be quick about it before this place _falls_ on us."

Everyone fell in behind her as she lead the way, using her magic to provide light. The halls were now full of disoriented people on the floor, groaning and groping in the dark. Rarity couldn't help but pause and check on most of them, which delayed their journey by nearly an hour. Pinkie felt no need to hide her restlessness. "We gotta gooooo," she whined, nudging the dressmaker with her elbow. "Come on!"

"Darling, we can't just leave these people-" The lights coming on cut her off. Stunned, they all looked around. "-in the dark. Never mind. Perhaps Twilight and Winter are already fixing the castle?"

"Let's go see." Rainbow went on, zipping through the hallways. Pinkie ran after her, yelling about being left behind. When they reached the throne room, they found a pale, unsettled-looking Twilight seated on the red carpet next to Winter, still on the floor.

"Yay!" Pinkie hugged Twilight first, then frowned at the pale woman's body as Rainbow came over. "Uh, is that _smoke_? _"_ She fanned at the faint gray wisps hovering over her body. "What the muffins is going on here?"

"I nearly had another nervous breakdown." Once the baker let go, she examined one of her palm crystals in the light. "She used the goo to suck up magic until I felt in control again. I think it might have killed her." Her head dropped. "I'm afraid to touch her, really. What should I do?"

Pinkie had already pulled her partially upright and into a hug. "Fufu? Hellooooooo?" There was no response. "Hey! Sleepy! Get up! Nap time is over!"

Rainbow gawked briefly at the night sky through the hole in the ceiling before looking at Winter and Pinkie. "Damn, Twi. How strong are you?"

"Don't ask." Twilight stood up and walked a few steps away. "I feel _so_ weird. Calmer. More...I don't know, mellow."

"Did you smoke a joint?" She snickered at the angry look. "You're such a prude."

"Hey! This is no time for jokes! I can't believe I just said that. But it's true!" Pinkie's words finally made the other women come over and look at Winter. "Is she...?"

"I'm not sure." Twilight touched one of her porcelain cheeks. "Wow, she's burning up."

"Man, I can't even tell if she's breathing." Rainbow bent down and peered. "Was she on fire? What's with the smoke?"

"No idea." The silence in her brain made her pause, then looked around with confusion. "Um...where are the Princesses?"

"Fluttershy stuffed them in a supply closet!" Pinkie's face went blank as she pictured them, still in there. "Uh oh. They might be stuck." With a shrug, she gently shook Winter until the motion became more like rocking. "Hey, wake up. The world's saved, but we can't have a party if you don't show up." Her lips began to tremble. "Fufu?"

"Maybe she's just asleep." Rainbow sounded less than sure, but perked up when the rest of their friends arrived – with Celestia in tow. "Hey! What took you?"

"We had to extract some people from a closet," Rarity sighed. Behind her, Fluttershy blushed with embarrassment. "Good to see everyone up and-" During her pause, they all walked over and looked at Winter. "Never mind. Is she all right?"

"We don't know." Twilight peered up at Celestia for a moment. "Where is Luna?"

"Trying to round up the castle staff." She too looked up at the hole in the ceiling. "Another nervous breakdown?"

"Almost." Forlornly, she looked at Winter once again. "She took on all that power. The more I think about it...no wonder she's smoldering. There was _so much_. Like a bottomless volcano." A persistent itch around her crystals distracted her. "I guess...well, I guess she finally got what she wanted, in a way."

Applejack shed her hat and held it to her stomach. "Ain't right." Her tone made Celestia turn and look. She stared her down. "Ya know what I mean."

The Princess acknowledged this with a nod before returning her attention to Twilight. "I have a lot of explaining to do. To a lot of people."

"None of that stuff matters right now!" Pinkie kept trying to rouse the pale woman, looking sadder and sadder with each passing second. "Help me wake her up! Anybody got an air horn? Cymbals? The video of Dashie when she was drunk on Hearth's Warming Eve last year?" She ignored the athlete's annoyed glare as she searched her friends' faces. " _Anything_?!"

"I think it's over." Twilight was still scratching at her hands. "Ha, of course it would be _me_ that finally did it. I'm still a Princess slayer."

Pinkie meant to refute her, but it wasn't looking good. The smoke had faded, but there was no movement. For a while, she gazed sadly at the woman in her arms. "Fufu's kinda cold now. I..." Unable to finish, she hung her head. Not long after, she gently set her down, stood, and shuffled away.

Rainbow Dash summed up the mood with one blunt word: "Damn." She walked over and looked down at Winter. Everyone else but Twilight soon joined her.

"I would be lying if I said I weren't a little unhappy," Celestia admitted. "Luna was right. Our creation became something much more than we'd planned."

"Geez...feels like just yesterday I was offerin' her a ride. Then she ups and saves my life, then all of Ponyville." Applejack squeezed her hat and grimaced. "Least I can do is pour one out for her when I get home."

"That would be a waste of good cider."

The gathering gasped to varying degrees, but everyone stumbled back in shock as they looked down. Winter's icy eyes were open, but she seemed in no hurry to rise from the floor. "I feel like I ate an entire city. Or six." At last she sat up, rubbing her forehead and glancing at those standing around her. "I feel Twilight. I must have succeeded, then?"

Pinkie spoke on behalf of them all, emitting a high-pitched squeal that would have grated had they not been so relieved. She clamped on in a hug so tight her shoulders protested in pain. "Fufu! You're alive!"

"Sometimes I get sleepy when I'm full." As her arms rose to return the embrace, she noticed something wrong with her palms. "What is this?" In the light, her black crystals displayed flashes of blue when she moved them.

"We're just glad you're okay," Fluttershy said, hands clasped and smiling.

Behind them, Twilight only briefly acknowledged Winter's awakening before staring back at her hands. "Great! But, uh, I've got a problem here."

Her tone wasn't terribly upset, so they ignored it while helping the pale woman rise. "What's up?" Applejack asked, although she failed to turn around and look.

"If you'd look, you'd see." Once they finally did, the sight provoked another burst of gasping. Two happily wiggling black ropes dangled from Twilight's palms. She looked at them, dumbfounded, then at her friends, who were equally as dumbfounded. "Winter! Why do I have these?!"

"I don't know." She pointed her palms to the ceiling and produced a stalk of ebony from each. These too swayed back and forth as if very pleased with themselves. "I still have mine."

"Wait, does she have to eat people now?" Rainbow's question, although genuine, earned her an extremely bad reaction from the crowd, save for Winter and Celestia. She threw up her arms as if in self-defense. "What? I'm just asking! It's a totally legitimate question!"

"Whose answer I really don't want to think about!" Twilight yelled. "Princess, what happened to me? You made this stuff, what did it do?"

She tapped her chin in thought. "It absorbs magic, but in that process it uses the energy to replenish itself if some of its volume is lost. Hmm. If it becomes too saturated and can't soak up more..."

"It made more of itself to continue absorption." Winter dismissed the stalks. "I can only hold so much. Perhaps it seeded itself in Twilight and grew when it ran out of room inside of me."

"B-but I don't want this!" Twilight shook her hands and squealed when the sludge wouldn't retract. " _Winteeeeeeer_! Help!"

The pale woman folded her arms and didn't even try to hide her amusement. "Talk to it, not to me. It has a voice. Start a conversation."

"Oh, ha ha. This isn't funny!" Her face went blank as she realized that Winter was serious. "Terrific. Uh...please go?" It slunk back into her palms as if scolded. "Oh. I guess politeness counts for something."

"I told you." A pause came as she conversed with her own sludge. "Mine is very happy. It seems to think it had a child."

The librarian slammed her hands onto the sides of her head and shrieked, "It can have babies?!"

Rarity stared at the scene. "Goodness me. There are no words."

"No kidding. Now I know how Dashie feels about all this gooey gunky junky junk," Pinkie muttered. Everyone else nodded their agreement – including Twilight. "Whatever! Right now I just wanna go home and snuggle Gummy. My brain feels funny. Not funny funny, even! Just weird."

"Amen ta that." The blonde donned her hat again and smiled. "Let's get outta the way. City's gonna need some serious tendin' ta. And we should be gettin' back anyway ta handle our _own_ business."

"I couldn't agree more. Let's go home." Twilight glanced suspiciously at her palms as she allowed her wings to spread. "Princess Celestia, you and I need to have a _serious_ talk at some point. I'll be in touch." She motioned for everyone to get ready before looking at her mentor. "Until then, leave me alone."

Twilight flew out of the hole in the ceiling, carrying Rarity and Applejack along behind her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew out last. Winter, however, remained where she was. After watching everyone else go, she turned to Celestia with angry eyes. "I had a lot of time to think, and I came to one conclusion. I hate you," she said bluntly. "I think I hate you a lot."

The Princess was not really surprised. "I understand. There are things we did to you, most of which I am not proud of. But we thought them necessary. In hindsight we were incredibly wrong, and I apologize on Luna's behalf as well as my own."

"Your apology is meaningless to me." A black blade slid out from her right palm, much like the one she used to kill the Princess. For a moment, she contemplated it, then sent it away. "But your fate is in their hands now, not mine," she said, motioning toward the dark Canterlot skyline outside the broken window. "I am going home. Twilight's advice applies; do not bother me unless you have a _damn_ good reason. That goes for your sister as well."

Before Celestia could respond, Winter's black wings snapped out smartly and carried her off into the night sky.

* * *

Getting the country up and running again was a process that stretched on and on. Even two weeks later, things were still rather hit and miss in larger cities, but progress was at least steady. Ponyville had no such problem; Twilight and Winter's immense power had the town back to normal in no time. As cities like Manehattan and Trottingham trundled onward toward normalcy, the little hamlet was already miles past mundane.

At least physically. There was still tension – the civil war had stopped, yes, but people were split about their government's covert history. Both sides had sent envoys to the library tree, where they held audiences with the two Princesses. The librarian, still unsettled by the presence of the black goo inside of her, wanted little to do with politics and declined to speak with them. Winter issued a doctrine – with Twilight's input and approval, of course.

And their message was simple: "Cease hostilities and negotiate," she had said. "Or we will _make_ you cease them."

This afternoon saw the resumption of Twilight's weekly tutoring sessions. Winter couldn't decide for whose benefit, really: the children being taught, or the teacher. She perched herself in a chair in the public space off to the side to watch.

"Now, before we begin, we may as well talk about the... _situation_. No point in pretending like it isn't happening. First off, Winter and I are going to ensure the war doesn't start up again." She paused and looked over with a smile, as did her students. "Secondly, yes, the rumors are true." A stalk of ebony slipped out of her left palm, which she displayed for everyone. "I'm still not used to it, but Winter had to give me this to save us. Again. She tends to do that."

The pale woman smirked at Twilight's remark, but said nothing.

"Anyway, if you feel worried, we can talk after our lesson. Now then, it's time for math!"

The unhappy groan that followed was the point Winter checked out mentally and went back to reading, although she did keep an eye on Twilight. Once the children left – Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stopped to give her a hug, which made her smile – the librarian sat with her.

"It talks to me," she murmured. "Before I go to sleep at night especially. But it doesn't have a voice."

The pale woman nodded. "I know. How do you feel?"

"Great! Stronger. Like..." Twilight paused and looked at her forearms. "What is it doing to me, Winter? I've already lost five pounds. Is it eating me?"

"No, it's making you strong." Winter looked at her own arms and flexed one. "Like it did me. All it wants to do is protect you."

"Huh. It does feel like an internal hug sometimes." Minutes passed as she contemplated. "I mean, I still have to eat and sleep normally. Will that change too?"

"I'm not sure."

"Ha. Just one more thing to put in the 'I'm not sure' column. I'm not sure about the sludge. I'm not sure what's going to happen to me. I'm not sure what's going to happen to Equestria." Twilight's hands waved around as she ranted. "What _is_ there to be sure about?" Winter's bright smile made her tilt her head. "You look chipper all of a sudden."

"There are a few things. I – we – stopped a war. I think we should be happy about that."

"True. What else?"

"Not as many people hate me as I thought."

"Well, they don't have much choice. The alternative to what you did would have been so much worse." Twilight settled back and sighed. "Of course, if I'd failed in changing them back..." A vicious shake of her head killed any retroactive panic. "Forget it. You're right. The silver lining is pretty big."

"There's one more thing." Winter looked out the window at the gentle snowfall. "No offense to our friends; they mean a great deal to me, but I was always going to feel alone. I'm too strange to really fit in."

The librarian folded her arms and scowled. "Hey, now! How many times do we have to tell you, you're never alo—wait, _was_? What changed?"

Winter took her by the wrist and looked at her palm. "The one thing that was always going to separate me from everyone else. Now you have it too. I can't feel alone any longer when there's two of me." She let go and looked away. "Not to mention the large amount of _you_ I sucked up. We've become the same person, almost."

"Huh. You've got a point." Twilight summoned the goo and gazed at it. "But we're totally different otherwise. We're not twins."

"But we're not just friends anymore, either."

"Yeah..." They stared at each other for a while. "Um, you don't mean anything, uh, _romantic_ , do you?"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "Are you really asking me this?"

"Aha! Ha. Uh...just checking." She coughed a few times. "I understand. I'm going to need help getting used to this gunk for a while. You're really the only one I can count on as far as that goes." They were silent again. "Well, what are we now? Best friends?"

"No, Applejack and Pinkie fit that title more closely. I think we may be—hmm." Winter frowned and looked back out the window. "I'm not sure I should say it."

"Go on. What are you thinking?' Twilight nudged her persistently when she refused to reply. "Come on, talk. You know what happens when you clam up and get emotional."

"Shotguns and mass transmutations." An awkward sigh came and went. "Perhaps we are sisters now. In a way."

"Wow." This concept needed some mulling over, and she went to it immediately. A few thoughtful moments passed. "Through experience? I guess you're right."

"Hmm." She kept her eyes on the window at first, then looked back to ask a question. "Is that bad?"

"No! No way. I've just...well, I love Shining, but I've always wanted to have a sister, you know? Like Applejack and Rarity. To see what it's like."

They shared a smile that lasted for quite some time. Winter considered everything she'd done – before and after coming to Ponyville – and almost frowned. Almost. The reason she didn't was an old feeling made new again by a new concept: family. It struck her like the word 'home' once did, but in a far more potent way.

She also considered Twilight's words and smiled even brighter. "Let's find out."


	22. The Real Thing

As ever, it wasn't that simple.

They tried. Winter was thrilled with the prospect until she noticed Twilight wasn't anymore, and that happened in about two days. The librarian, with time to think, also had time to ruminate about the day they actually fought. Fortunately, both of them acknowledged their awkwardness – it was impossible to miss – and Spike, along with Pinkie and Rarity, nudged them into talking before either woman could stew for too long. The morning they chose was three weeks past the 'change incident', as everyone now called it.

Twilight, still half-asleep, shuffled into the kitchen and found Winter at the table, waiting. "Okay, who wants to go first?"

"I will." She didn't say anything for a few seconds, as if she were actually struggling to gather her thoughts. "I didn't mean to push you into anything."

"You didn't push." Another pause happened. Twilight decided to stare at the table top for now. "I thought it would be nice to try it. It felt a lot weirder than I thought it would. Maybe we're just too different? It's not working."

"I noticed."

"Not that you aren't my friend!" she blurted out, fearing damage to the pale woman's feelings. "Calling someone your sister, though, that's really serious. I just...I don't know. I'm not going to any longer. It feels weird to me."

"I understand." Winter did look sullen, but not terribly upset. "Friends is okay."

She nodded happily – a bit too happily, she realized, and fell still with a serious look. Her smile didn't fade, though. "Good! Good. Ha, we sound like we're breaking up."

Winter crossed her arms and gazed at her. "I suppose. I'm still not sure about how that sort of relationship works."

"Right. Uh, forget it. Let's just clear the air about the  _other_  thing."

"Oh, yes." She decided to rest her elbows on the table. "Our fight. What about it?"

"You beat the hell out of me. You were  _angry_ ," she breathed while looking away. "Really angry! Every time I think about it I get a little scared."

Winter folded her arms again and stared, even though her attempt at eye contact was refused. "Why didn't you say it bothered you before?"

"At first? It didn't. You did what you needed to in order to bring me back from the edge." She finally looked up and frowned. "But now that I've had a chance to really think back...it feels like you were mad at  _me_."

"I..." Winter hesitated and crossed her arms, replaying their fight in her head. "The sludge provided me with some anger. I'm not sure how mad  _I_ really was."

Twilight nodded, but she didn't look satisfied. "You called me a brat. Where did that come from? Can you remember?"

"Mm. That was me." Her face screwed up awkwardly. "I was jealous."

"You were?" Twilight leaned back with shock; this was something she didn't really think Winter was capable of. "I'd ask why, but I think I already know."

"Yes. I would have done anything to have your life. To hear you complaining about it..." Her head dropped. "I  _was_  mad at you. At least some."

"I wasn't complaining about it. Well, I was, but I wasn't. I was complaining about how it turned out to be a lie." Twilight rubbed her hair down and sighed. "Point taken, however. I guess I understand why you'd be angry."

"Bitter, too. All this power and I only want the one thing I can't have: someone else like me."

Twilight wilted in her seat. "Can't help you there. I'm sorry." They suffocated in a melancholic silence until she decided they needed a new topic. "Rainbow got jealous of me at the gym yesterday. If this keeps up, I'm going to look like you in a couple of weeks."

"Mm." Winter glanced down at the muscles hiding under her short sleeves. "Is it still talking?"

"It's—well, I don't really know how to put it. I know it's there, always, but I can put it aside and concentrate like normal. I just can't ignore it when there's nothing around to distract or occupy me. Is that how it is for you?"

Winter nodded gently. "More or less. You will never be alone inside yourself again."

Twilight's face screwed up in thought. "Yeah. I figured. At least I still eat and sleep like usual. I wonder why that is."

"Probably because you weren't built to take full advantage of it. Or to rely on it as much as I do." It was her turn to slump now; she ended up hunched all the way over, looking down at her hands. Out of nowhere came a statement directly from her heart. "I feel so lonely sometimes."

It stung both of them. Twilight was at a loss for words, but she made a series of noises to fight the quiet until she could gather some up. "You have us."

"I know. And I know you know what I mean."

"I...yeah, I do." She rested her chin on a hand and scowled hard. "I've got nothing in the way of advice. I can't even fathom what it must feel like to be the only one of your kind. Just thinking about it makes me sad."

"Sad would be a gross understatement." Winter's eyes widened a bit at what she wanted to say next. Hesitant, she fought with herself a bit, then decided it wasn't worth hiding any longer. "I almost miss my old life – the early days, just after I woke up in the woods. At least I knew the whole scope of my anguish back then. Now it seems to go on forever."

Twilight was stunned so deeply she had to stand up. "Winter!"

"It's true. I wouldn't trade any of you for anything, but emotions hurt worse than losing a limb. And it never seems to  _stop_." She sighed at being tackle-hugged, despite knowing it was coming. Her return embrace was feeble – which only made Twilight hug her harder. "I wish I had someone to share this with that truly understood. Besides Celestia and Luna, I mean."

"Ugh!" The librarian broke away and stalked off to the base of the stairs. "Don't even mention them." She deflated and squeezed her eyes shut to intercept the bout of crying she could feel approaching. "I get so confused whenever they come up. They treated me like their daughter for so long, but now..."

Winter stood up and walked over. "I'm surprised they haven't called. Even if we told them not to."

"I know what she's doing. She's seeing if I'll cool off enough to contact her myself. I won't. I don't think." Twilight's eyes remained shut as the frustration built up. "I miss her one second and hate her the next. How am I supposed to feel?!"

"I know where you're coming from there, at least." Winter offered a stronger hug this time. "Talk to her. See how you react afterward."

"But I don't wannaaaaaaa," she whined, sounding similar to an unhappy Pinkie. "I pick up my phone and I start to call and my stomach twists into knots and I just can't go through with it! I don't know  _what_  to do!"

They both froze as the smartphone in question began to ring. Twilight pulled away and walked over to the counter. Winter blinked when she just stared at it as it rang. "Who is it?"

"Speak of the devil," she muttered in reply. Her hand trembled as she finally answered and put the call on speaker. "Princess."

"Twilight. You sound...annoyed, to hear from me. Not saying I'm surprised."

"Gee, I wonder why that would be." Grumpy, she crossed her arms and glared into space. "What do you want?"

"I would like you and Winter to come back to Canterlot."

They shared a look before the librarian, even grumpier than before, replied. "Uh huh. For what?"

"A few reasons. Foremost, to apologize to you both in person, for whatever it happens to be worth. Also, I'd like you to show up at the treaty conference. Not to negotiate; just to remind both sides of the potential consequences so the process goes quickly."

The librarian exploded. "Terrific! We're instruments of terror now. 'Negotiate or...' what? Huh? Are we going to crack whips on the delegates?" Winter, looking just as disgusted, nodded silent agreement.

"Not at all! You have to understand, this is the first time in  _history_  two warring sides have sued a third party for peace. Understandably, they want to run terms by you."

"Because they're afraid?" the pale woman asked.

"Yes, to put it bluntly. We all are to some degree or another."

Twilight held no anger here; she knew it was completely true. "I'm too emotional to get involved in the process right now."

"Which is another reason I want you  _both_  to come. Again, it's not the only one."

Winter approached the phone and stared at it. "What else is there?"

"I'm releasing all the Project documentation to you."

Slack-jawed, the pale woman gazed at the floor. "All of it?  _All_  of it?" Her face grew dark. "I'm not sure I believe you."

"Fair enough. I know I I haven't been forthcoming, but this is a promise. Everything about your creation that still exists is yours to read. I swear."

"What do you think?" Twilight asked lowly.

"I don't know. I don't know if I even want to know." She turned away and crossed her arms, contemplating. "Every time I find something out, it hurts me. I...I'm reluctant."

She came over and gave her a pat on the pat. "I'll read it with you, if you want to go." Her attention went back to the call. " _If_  we agree, when would you want us there?"

"As soon as possible. Tomorrow would be great. I have to go, Twilight. Please think about it, and I'm sorry. So sorry." She hung up abruptly, leaving them to look at each other and frown.

The librarian reached her conclusion first. "If anything, I'd like to fly up there and give her a piece of my mind." She wandered back to the table and sat down. "Then again, I think she might have a point. It's probably time we had some actual input in Equestria's new direction. Whatever that is."

"Fair enough." Winter still wasn't convinced about Celestia's offer, and it showed in her eyes. "I still don't know if I want the whole truth. If I can handle it."

"Leaving that aside for a moment, do you actually want to go?" Twilight's face twisted up at the pale woman's uncertain nod. "Are you sure? She can't  _make_  us. She can't make us do anything."

"I know." They looked over as another phone – the pale woman's, also on the counter – began to ring. "I wonder who this could be." Winter retrieved it and blinked when she saw Pinkie's face on the screen. "Hello?"

" _Open the door_!"

Her demand was so loud it startled both women and nearly made Winter drop the phone. Twilight peeked into the public space and opened the front door from there, hiding behind the kitchen door's frame as if expecting an attack. They watched Pinkie stalk inside and move toward them. "You!" she said, directly at the pale woman. Once they were face to face, she growled, "Why do you keep hiding from us?!" Every word was studded with a finger jab into Winter's chest – at the end, she waved her hand and hissed. "Owwww, I think I broke it."

Winter was unmoved. "It's not like you don't know where to find me."

"Yeah, but—!" Her face dropped. "You got me there. Hasn't anybody dropped by?"

"Applejack's family doesn't like her being around me these days. As for the rest, your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps they're giving us space." She nodded at Twilight. "Except Rarity and Trixie."

"Oh, yeah. They've visited quite a bit. Tried to convince us to go to the spa." She allowed herself a giggle. "I think we should take them up on before we head to Canterlot. Let's get rid of our current stress, then take some more on, ahaha! Ha...bleh. It's nice to see those two getting along now, though. Really."

"Wait wait wait. You're going back?" Pinkie blinked. "Seriously?"

"Likely so." Winter's head tilted when the baker's expression grew annoyed. "You think we shouldn't?"

She let rip with a much angrier tone than usual. "I wouldn't give those darn Princesses the time of day, Fufu! They've done so much awful stuff to you I wanna, I just...I wanna pop them upside the head! With a cupcake tray!"

"Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed. "Easy!"

"No! Everybody deserves to be happy! But it's like Fufu can't be happy because she's so unique and all those things she had to do and and...if anyone should be happy it's her! Now it's happening to you too, Twilight, and—ugh! Do you guys know how mad that makes me?!" By the time she finished, Pinkie was huffing and glaring and snarling.

"We do now?" the librarian said with a nervous chuckle.

"Grrrr...screw them. If I were you I'd never ever ever ever  _ever_  say anything to them ever again. Ever!" Pinkie folded her arms and glared off. "Did I say ever? Ever!"

Twilight blinked several times. "Okay, okay, we get it. But we have to show up for the treaty conference at least. I mean, Winter did stop the war."

"That much of it I got right, anyway," she muttered glumly.

"So mad," Pinkie mumbled. She squeaked when Winter picked her up and giggled uncontrollably. "Hey! Put me down!"

"Anger is unbecoming of you. You need a laugh."

"No kidding," Twilight snickered. "I guess we need to figure out what to wear?" Her shoulders slumped. "And how long we want to stay."

"Later." Winter set the baker down and moved toward the front door. "I'm going for a walk. I need some fresh air."

Pinkie scratched at her unruly pink locks. "But it's freezing outside!"

She displayed a wry smile. "I'm sure I'll manage."

Once on the streets, she wandered downtown, ignoring the reactions of everyone else around as she went. Not that she didn't care about what they thought; on the contrary, it terrified her – even if Twilight assured her most of what she'd heard was positive. With great effort, she managed to form her own little bubble until, finally, she plopped down on a bench and found herself looking at the store where she first encountered Connie across the road. "Oh." The memory rolled around in her head for a while. "Back when I was just a mysterious heroine. Those were the days."

"Y'all sure are soundin' wistful!"

Winter leaned back and threw up her arms in shock. Applejack was lounging beside her. "When did you get here?"

"Heh. A minute ago. I kept tryin' ta call ya but I guess y'all were on another planet." She exhaled a long, slow cloud of breath and watched it float away, as if she'd just taken a drag off a cigarette that wasn't there. "Where ya been, Fu? Ain't none of us talked to ya in weeks 'cept Rarity."

"None of you were brave enough to pay me a visit." Her eyes went to the harsh blue sky above. "Then again, I wasn't exactly brave enough to call either."

Applejack gave her a heavy clap on the shoulder. "Aw, shoot. It happens. Sometimes don't nobody know what ta do, so we end up doin' nothin'. And it drags on and on and on until—well, ya get the picture. Was kinda worried about y'all. How's Twilight? And the...ya know. Gunk."

"Still getting used to it. I doubt she fully will." She watched the blonde fuss with her hat. "My past is going to crush me and I can't figure out how to follow your advice."

"My advice?" Her eyes lit up. "Oh. Yeah. Did the same ta me for about a year. So many times I just wanted ta take a knife ta myself, as if that'd help. It got so bad, Rainbow used ta beat me up just so I'd get pissed off at her and feel somethin'  _other_  than depressed." A smile appeared briefly. "I don't recommend it for everybody, but it worked for me."

"Mm. I think Twilight is the only one capable of beating me up, and I do  _not_  want to fight her again."

"Nah, nah, course not." Applejack leaned forward and sighed. "I dunno what ta do. Twilight and you are so  _different_  now. Doin' all that stuff everybody thought was impossible. Now we got immortal Princesses runnin' around and who  _knows_  what else the government's been hidin'. It's all so damn messed up."

"My sentiments exactly." They stared at the town for a while. People would walk by and greet Applejack, and – to her great surprise – would also say hello to her, though their tone was much more respectful, and, frankly, a little fearful. After a few instances of this, she nudged the blonde for attention. "They don't seem to be mad."

"Why would they be mad? They – we – were about ta fight. Ya stopped us. If anything, we owe ya one."

"Hmm." Why did this revelation give her a headache? She rubbed at her forehead and sighed. "If I could just get past the other stuff now."

"Yeah. Uh...yeah." Applejack glanced at her boots and frowned. "Guess I'd better head on. Granny and them ain't gonna take too kindly ta hearin' I said hello to ya. 'Cept Bloom. She don't care."

A smile brightened Winter's face. "That's nice to know." And just as fast, it was gone. "There's something I never told you."

The blonde, already standing, looked down quizzically. "Eh?"

Winter held back until a large enough gap in the pedestrians arrived. "I almost ate your sister. I stopped myself because I knew how much it would hurt you."

Applejack's scowl was like a ghost, but visible enough to make the pale woman wince. Quickly it vanished, replaced by a tiny grin. "Almost, but ya didn't. That's what counts."

"Aren't you mad?" she asked, stunned. The blonde laughed and gave her a light pat on the head.

"What have I been tellin' ya, Fu? Ain't no point holdin' on ta stuff – especially stuff that never happened. Anyway, see ya. Say hi to Rainbow for me if ya see her!" She sauntered away with a wave, leaving a dumbfounded Winter in her wake.

"No wonder I let her give me a ride," she muttered with amazement. Applejack's ability to let things go gave her an ideal to aspire to, but like everything seemed lately it was a million miles out of her reach. Grumbling, she rose from the bench and flew back to the library tree.

* * *

There was no fanfare to be found in their departure for Canterlot early the next morning. No drama. No caravans to the train station – no train station, period. There was only Winter, Twilight, a small suitcase for each, and a sleepy Spike, all gathered into the small library kitchen.

"If anything happens, if you need  _anything_ , you call me," the librarian said firmly. "I'll be here so fast your head will spin."

"I got it, I got it," he droned, still rubbing at his eyes. "Call you for help and you'll be back in a literal flash. Got it."

Winter lifted her suitcase off the floor. "And she won't be alone."

"Geez, you guys are scary now. Especially Twilight." He peered at her with a grin. "Look at how jacked she is!"

"Spike! You know I can't help it!" She tried to act huffy, but smiled all the same. "All right, we're off. We'll be back, uh, at some point? I don't know. Maybe you'll see us on TV."

"Neat. Can I have your autograph?" He chuckled, and so did they. "Go on, get. I've got this."

On they went, leaving the library, gracefully detaching from the earth, and rising into the sky at a leisurely pace. The horizon was bluing in the east, far beyond the spine of mountains that was their destination. The weather was clear, thankfully, but the cold was so intense it even soaked through Winter's tough skin until the sludge took over. There was no longer any snow on the ground, although frost glittered wherever there was light below to shine on it. They decided to follow a string of such lights – the ones that lined the highway that weaved northeast to Canterlot. To the west, the stars faded behind a wall of clouds. Another storm was coming, hence their early departure. As Ponyville faded from view, Twilight's teeth began to chatter. "G-geez. Your goo isn't helping me much with the wind chill."

Winter smirked to herself. "I told you to wear a scarf."

Fifty miles passed before either spoke again. "What do you think we should expect?" Twilight asked, glancing down at a winding river below them.

Her brow furrowed. "I have no idea. I suppose that question applies more to me than you, doesn't it?"

"Maybe. I still don't think you should read that stuff by yourself. We should have brought backup."

Winter shook her head slowly. "Let them sleep, Twilight. I will handle this."

"Ugh. There's nothing you have to handle alone anymore and you know it. Don't think I just mean us, either. You've got a lot of supporters now." The librarian looked over to see Winter's face locked straight ahead. "What?"

"What if we're expected to take over Equestria?"

"Gah, what?!" Twilight's wings flared briefly with fright. "We're too young to accept power! I don't have the experience and – no offense – you  _certainly_  don't have the experience."

Her thin lips curled up into another smirk. "None taken. You're right. If the idea comes up we have to shoot it down."

She nodded with relief and concentrated on the flight again. "What do  _you_  think should happen?"

"You're asking the wrong woman."

"Uh, well, I know you don't have much interest in politics, but we need to present a united front here." She flung her suitcase ahead, suspended it with magic, and flew on with her arms straight out like a superhero in a comic book. "Wow, no wonder Dash loves to fly. This is exhilarating!" Despite her giggle, she hadn't changed the subject. "I still need an answer."

Winter squinted ahead. "And you're still asking the wrong woman. I care nothing about the political solution, just as long as it avoids more bloodshed. That's the beginning and end of my interest."

"Okay, fair enough. As long as we're running around, I'm pretty sure you'll get your wish. People might be dumb but I doubt they're dumb enough to test us."

A grunt from the pale woman finished this part of their talk. Up ahead, the sunrise brought a silhouette of Canterlot into focus – a fully intact and repaired one to boot. Fueled by growing anxiety, both women discarded their rather leisurely pace and entered another gear. Their heightened speed consumed the remaining distance in a few minutes, and as they alighted on the balcony of the tallest spire in the castle, the bells of clock towers scattered all over the city began to strike seven.

"It's nice to see everything whole." Winter set her case down and went to the railing. The sky was pink and orange and purple now, too; it bathed the skyscrapers in a breathtaking smear of color. A handful of winged ones were moving about in the sky, but their forms were far away dots against the huge painting. "So this is why Applejack likes to watch the sunrise."

"Pretty much," Twilight said, walking over to soak up the scene with her. "Wow. I haven't seen a view like this since I moved to Ponyville. Maybe I could find a way to make the town float?"

They snickered together for a moment while thinking of the image. "The Mayor wouldn't be too pleased."

As they turned around to enter their suite, Celestia and Luna were already waiting at the door. Twilight's face dropped into a distant scowl. "Oh. Good morning."

"That tone stings," Celestia admitted lowly. "Luna saw you coming in. Thought we'd, ah, say hello."

"Twilight. Winter." The younger Princess nodded at each. Deep tension marked her face as well as her sister's. "We are glad you accepted our offer."

Twilight was doing her level best to be polite, but her difficulty with decorum of any sort was visible. "Right. May we go in? I'm cold."

"Of course." Celestia waited until they had set aside the luggage and found somewhere to sit before speaking again. "Twilight, I..." She trailed off and rubbed the back of her neck. "Where do I even start?"

The librarian pinned her down with a frigid glare and seized control of the conversation. "Oh, allow me. When, exactly, were you going to tell me how powerful I was? Hmm? Ever? Were you going to keep the secret until I went to my grave?"

Celestia's face screwed up with shame and terror. Luna shook her head at the sight and sat down, patiently waiting her turn. "My intention was to tell you eventually, yes. But you are so high-strung and nervous I didn't want the news to send you over the edge. I wanted to make sure you were ready."

Twilight contemplated this for  _ages_. She finally cleared her throat and replied, "You didn't think I could handle it, and you were right. Fine. I'll give you that one." With all the speed of a glacier, she rose from her chair and clasped her arms behind her back. "But that can't be all there was. If I understand Winter right – and those documents Luna gave her – you killed  _thousands_  of people to satisfy Project Winter's goals. Were you really that afraid of me?"

She folded her arms and glanced away. "You've seen your own power, Twilight. What do you think?"

At first she had no counter, but a thought darkened her eyes. "You were terrified I'd find out on my own and seize the throne, weren't you?" Celestia's silence seared her heart. "I cannot  _believe_  you," she hissed, hands coming to rest on her hips. "I loved you like a mother! You may as well have  _been_  my mother after you moved me to Canterlot! Why in the world would you think I'd try to steal your crown?!"

"Because Princesses are prone to bouts of insanity," Luna cut in. "Especially ones that have been alive for a thousand years and are too stubborn to admit their feelings about things."

"Don't you start," she warned her sister, fists clenched. "I am admitting them, if you've not noticed." A breath served to restore her regal dignity – for the most part. "For the record, I was hoping you would succeed me. Eventually. I was taking steps to ensure that instead of a coup d'état."

"Whatever." Twilight sat down and glared, looking like a bite-sized version of her mentor. "You screwed up. Badly.  _Both of you_." A finger snapped up in Luna's direction. "So is this why you withdrew from everyone? You felt guilty? I thought it was something I did."

She turned away, arms folded and teary-eyed. "I tried to wish myself to death after seeing Winter suffer. I almost made it happen."

Being brought up was finally what restored the pale woman to their attention. She had been seated like a statue, watching, waiting. Her eyes widened when everyone looked over. "Is it my turn?" she asked, glancing at Twilight.

The librarian nodded. "If you want."

"Very well." After standing, she walked over to Celestia, dismissed her with a disgusted look, and looked over to Luna. "I could kill you where you sit." She looked over her shoulder as the other two women tensed up. "And you where you stand," she said to the elder Princess. "I could kill you and raise you and kill you again and again until you're nothing more than piles of blood and bones and fading magic."

"U-uh, Winter?" Twilight stuttered, one hand weakly reaching out.

"No, I can do more than that." She walked over to one of the windows and peered out over the skyline of Canterlot. "I could kill you  _and_  your country. Equestria is the source of my suffering. You built me to save it from Twilight. To keep you as its rulers. I could – I  _should_  – snap my fingers and wipe this place off the face of the planet." At last she fully turned. The looks of shock moved her none; her face was as blank as when she'd started. "But I will not. Do you know why?"

There was no answer, but she expected as much and started to pace. "Because an apple farmer had the decency to give me a ride on a hot summer day. Because a member of the Manehattan Mob made a deal for her life to feed me and  _kept her promise_. Because a baker gave me a box of cupcakes and a hug when I was covered in blood. Because a whole series of people gave me a place to stay and clothes to wear. Because someone had the idea that I should be me instead of trying to hide it." She paused and looked at Twilight. "Because someone tried to find out who I really was and eventually paid the price." Her eyes went to Celestia and Luna now, turquoise orbs of solid hatred that punched a hole through their souls. "You only managed to do  _one_  of these things; the one I hated most. All I want to do is make you suffer, but what's the point? Someone out there loves you." Again she paused to regard Twilight. "Someone in here still might, too. I may be capable of moving on, but I will  _never_  forgive you, no matter how many lifetimes you live or how many reigns you may have ahead."

"H-holy crap," the librarian muttered, leaning back as Winter took her seat again. "A-are you-"

She raised her hand for silence and got it instantly. "I'm not done. Let me be absolutely clear; I give less than a damn about your political power. I do care about people not dying due to what you've done. I'll go to the treaty conference. I'll make sure this country has stability. Beyond that, I don't care what Equestria looks like when the sun rises tomorrow. But before I go anywhere, I want to see the Project files. All of them. And if you have anything else hidden that isn't in those papers and you keep concealing it from me? I will fly back here and invent some new level of death to inflict upon you. That is a  _promise_."

Her rant sucked all the air out of the room for a few minutes. "Wh-where the hell did that come from?" Twilight finally whispered, her hands shaking.

Winter's eyes narrowed. "I've been sitting on it for ten years. The sludge might have helped. A little."

Luna bent over and hid her eyes; if she were weeping, it was inaudible to anyone. Celestia, after frowning at her sister, cleared her throat and took on a dignified stance, although internally she was trying to thaw the blood frozen in her veins. "Of course. Luna keeps them at the Academy. I'm sure Doctor Cannon will show you the way when you get there."

"Mm." She rose from her chair and moved straight out the door before Twilight could even raise her concerns.

The librarian was left to sigh instead and look around. "Wow. She's mad."

"If I were her, I'd be mad too." Celestia sat down with Luna and rubbed her shoulder. "What about you, my faithful student?"

Twilight stared off into space, hoping some answer would be in the aether. The sludge inside quietly spoke to her – not in words, but in displeased bolts of feeling. It certainly hated the Princesses; for its bearer, though, the jury was still out. "I...haven't decided."

She nodded, smiling sadly. "I guess that's the best I can hope for. There's something I want to show you. Winter can see it when she returns."

Twilight tilted her head. "Huh? What?"

Celestia didn't look at her – she was busy trying to urge Luna to her feet. "The reason we defended this castle so viciously."

* * *

Two hours later, the three stepped out into the narrow corridor from the artifact registry. Twilight lead the way, stumbling up the stairs with a hand on her forehead. "Wh-what the..." she wheezed, her mind addled by a fearsome buzzing sound that faded with each step up. "Extra-dimensional mirrors? Soul containers? Magic amplifiers? Ugh, my head hurts. How long has this been down here?"

Celestia helped her sister lock the room before answering. "Since our rule began. After the war of unification, we made it our task to gather and store the objects that fractured our race. I suppose you could say we stole Equestria's magical legacy, but that legacy would have kept this land divided. Eventually, it would have destroyed the world."

"But how have you hidden this place for so long?"

"The platestone," Luna said, taking up the rear in their slow procession. "Try to grab it with your magic."

"Huh?" The librarian did as asked, but her raspberry shimmer slipped into the rock and vanished. "What?! What happened?"

"Seem familiar?" Luna ran her fingertips over the black stone. "Powdered platestone is what originally gave Winter her ability to soak up magic. Of course, she probably knows this by now – along with many other things. Sufficiently dense magic has these properties, too; it's a miracle we got it to act like this. This material is so complex, not even we can conjure up more of it."

"Yes. All the magical energy given off by the objects seeps into the plate and suspends it – sort of like hot air in a balloon. Consider it our final insurance policy against theft; if too many objects are removed, the city falls and the registry is destroyed." Celestia moved ahead, using her golden light to cut a path through the darkness. "I apologize for so many revelations at once, Twilight. I'm trying to keep to my new 'no secrets' policy, at least where you two are concerned."

She nodded weakly, still wrangling with a headache. "I understand, but wow. I thought I was going to go deaf in there. That stuff was screaming as loud as all the people Winter changed."

Luna glanced over her shoulder, back down into the dark. "Now you know why we need to hide them. Even a regular magic user can sense these things, and their call can be incredibly persuasive."

Twilight frowned. "Right."

At last they reached the top of the corridor. Once the door was sealed, they walked side by side down the hallway into the castle proper. "There's going to be a press conference in an hour at the hotel. I think the public would like to hear from you, my faithful student. And Winter too – if any of us are brave enough to go fetch her." Celestia smiled down at them.

Her face screwed up with rejection at first, but she relented and shrugged. "Uh, sure, I guess. Can – I mean may – I walk around a little first? It's been a while since I've been here when the world wasn't in danger."

Luna looked up at her sister, then smiled at the librarian. "Of course. I will go ahead and see to the preparations."

Just as soon as they were gone, Twilight noticed how empty the halls were compared to her memories. Many of the courtesans had quit and refused to return once the city had been fixed – those that remained were lifers that she remembered from her early days at the castle. The place was running on a skeleton staff. As she wandered through the corridors, so did her mind.

What bothered her most was the lack of communication from Winter. Both women had their phones, but Twilight was reluctant to call. "I hope she's all right." Her eyes darted around at the paintings as she moved. "I should be reading that stuff too. It all happened because of me." She raised her hands and stared at those jewels. "How much of their blood is on my hands? Any? All of it?"

That was too heavy for her to fight with for now, so she dropped it and kept walking. A female courtesan with white hair was up ahead, carrying a basket full of flowers. Twilight walked past without looking or saying anything, but once she was ahead the woman spoke. "Hey!"

"Hello—wait." Twilight turned on her heel and beheld a grinning Stormy. "You can't be serious. You're a  _courtesan_  now?! How do you keep getting these jobs?"

"Geez, bitchy as ever. Nice to see you too." She put a hand on her hip and glared. "You know that saying about no loyalty among thieves? It's bullshit. Celestia got me my first job, so I repaid the favor when she put out a call for new staff. I was damn near the only one that actually applied."

"How...magnanimous of you," she replied, eyebrow raised. "Please don't steal anything."

Stormy rolled her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake. I'm not a thief anymore!" The look on Twilight's face stopped her. "What's that for?"

"I'm serious. The place has been through enough." After a moment, her eyes went up to the tall ceiling above. "I lived here once. I love the castle. It's...it's like my childhood home."

"Aw." She sat the basket on the floor and gave Twilight an awkward hug. "It's okay, man. Your memories are safe with me. Promise!"

"Thank you." They broke away and shared one small smile. "I guess I'd better go. Press conference to do and all! Not looking forward to it."

Stormy flashed a bright smirk. "Poor famous Princess. You'll be fine. Say hi to Fuyu for me!"

"Winter, actually. That's her – real? – name. But, sure, when I see her." They parted ways with a wave. Before Twilight could get too far away, however, the former thief called her back. "Hmm? What?"

"It was me," she murmured quietly. "I was the one that saw Luna carrying Celestia. I was the one who talked."

Bringing that day up made Twilight wince, but she was still curious. "What? I cleared the castle. I changed everyone."

"Oh, honey. I've been sneaking around in places I ain't supposed to be for almost fifteen years. You really think you were gonna catch me? I'm pretty good at disappearing when shit hits the fan." Her face screwed up with a memory. "Except that one time at the orchard. Heh. No getting away from her."

"Wow." Awkwardly, she rubbed her neck. "You went from stealing apples to unraveling countries. Pretty big progression."

"Ha! Still better than my former life." Stormy picked up her basket and grinned. "I'd better get back to work. See you around sometime. Maybe."

Twilight nodded and turned to leave. "Yeah, maybe. We're staying here in the north tower. Winter might like to see you."

"Oh, yeah? Hell, I'll keep that in mind."

They at last parted ways. Twilight entered the garden, shivered against the air, and sighed. "No use putting it off any longer, I suppose." The doors behind her opened, startling her for a moment. "Oh, Princess Celestia."

"Feeling better? Or if not better, I don't know, different?"

All she could do was shrug. "I don't know. I don't even know what I don't know. Has anyone heard from Winter?"

"No, but everything is quiet at the Academy." Her eyes went to the sky. "It's going to snow soon."

"Yeah. I wonder who ate the fall?"

The Princess allowed herself a smile. "Weather is even more fickle than people. We should get going. Luna is at the hotel waiting for us."

Twilight thought she was ready – as ready as she was going to get, anyway – while they flew toward the huge glass box, but once inside she was overwhelmed by the amount of cameras and lights and  _people_  in her face, clamoring up the stairs, asking her questions at all sorts of volumes and speeds. It made her wince. Only when they had entered the hotel ballroom did she find some sort of order; reporters were being seated, the podium was being set up, and the gaggle outside was held at bay by police and MPs, including Spitfire. Luna waved them over to a corner opposite the doors.

"Where is Winter?" she asked straight away.

Her sister shrugged. "As far as I know, at the Academy."

"I see. I would go check on her, but she probably does not want to see me."

"Wow." Twilight was lost in watching all the networks get their cameras in position. "I, uh, I don't think I can do this. I feel like I'm going to interfere in the process."

Celestia patted her on the shoulder. "It's what everyone seems to want. You'll be fine. I do wish Winter were here to back you up, though."

The librarian's face screwed up while thinking of her. "Eh. She's got enough to worry about. I can handle this. I, uh, I think."

Others began to file in; imposing men and women in suits and uniforms that sat at the tables that straddled the podium on both sides. Everyone not running a camera in the audience was seated now; only Twilight, Celestia, and Luna remained standing. The Princesses glanced at each other as if silently determining who would speak first. Twilight won – or lost – this exchange.

"R-really?" she stammered. "Shouldn't one of you go first?"

"They want to hear from you," Luna replied. "Don't deny them that. Just say a few things and hand it off to one of them." Her hand waved at the dignitaries seated and now looking in their direction. "We are old news. Winter and yourself...you are the story now."

"Oh boy. All right, here goes." She anxiously stepped up to the microphones and peered out. The bright lights forced her to squint. "Are we ready? Yes? Good. Um...hello?" she said, waving a little. A few people in the audience and at the table smiled or chuckled. "Sorry. I'm not very good at this. I'll just say what I think and hope that's good enough." Before she went on, she took a deep breath. "First off, Winter's off attending to some personal matters. I'm sure when she sees us she'll drop by."

More chuckling. She smiled, feeling a bit better. "But we apologize for not taking a more direct role in the treaty process. Honestly, I didn't feel like dealing with this stuff, you know? Too many emotions and all. I still feel that way. Winter isn't much for politics, either. All she wants is to avoid fighting, and so do I. If you're looking to us for guidance, well, you shouldn't. I don't want to interfere. I want this to be  _your_  peace. Every province should do what they feel is right, whether that's via voter referendum or new elections or whatever. If a province wants to break away and form its own state, then we should let it. I mean, let's be honest with ourselves! Equestria is going to look very different after this is done, and we should all accept it."

The Princesses had taken up a position in the corner, out of the lights to avoid drawing attention away. "Look at her go," Celestia breathed, watching her pupil take command of the gathering.

Luna, arms crossed, nodded with approval. "Indeed. She will make a fine ruler one day."

Her brow furrowed. "If she'll have the crown. If there's an Equestria  _left_  to rule."

"Always the pessimist, sister."

Before they could start bickering, the doors flew open and Winter stalked into the room. She said nothing to attract anyone's eyes, but her face was marked with vicious determination as she approached Luna. Twilight only saw her when she walked past the table to her right. "Oh, here she is!" All the cameras turned. She blinked when the pale woman didn't even wave hello. "Um...Winter?"

Her attention was focused solely on the royal sisters. She showed the Princesses a stack of papers in her hand and shouted, " _Where are they_?!"

"Where are wh—oh, uh." Twilight stopped herself and blinked before turning back to the microphones. "Oops, uh, sorry. I'll be right back." She quickly skittered off stage and over to the three women to find out what was going on.

* * *

Applejack drove down the highway back toward town, whistling a chipper tune. Snow was falling hard; the storm threatening Canterlot had been underway here for about two hours. She was no longer in the old red truck. Last night had been spent in discussion with Granny Smith and her brother about finally buying a new vehicle for the orchard. They realized they could swing the purchase with plenty of money to spare; at sunrise she was off to the dealership, thirty miles west in the next town, to find one before the storm. While she failed to beat the weather, at least there was no ice on the roads yet to make driving too dangerous.

Thinking about where the money for this had come from made her grin. "Ya save my life, ya save my orchard, ya save  _Ponyville_ , then ya harvest more apples than we ever could by ourselves. Damn Fu, I oughta marry ya. Heh! Rainbow'll beat my ass for sayin' that." She glanced down at the radio and tilted her head. "Hey, I got a workin' one now. Let's see how it sounds." She turned it on and frowned when a breaking news report flowed from the speakers. "Aw, man, I got enough to worry about." Grumbling, she turned it off just as fast and sighed. As a substitute distraction, her eyes wandered around, taking in the black leather and aluminum trim and climate control. "I'll miss that old beater. Can't hardly believe I got actual  _cash_  for the trade-in."

After twenty minutes of driving, she guided the shiny red machine up the orchard path – which, due to great care and lack of a visible path, took forever – and brought it to a stop in front of the farmhouse. Apple Bloom burst out onto the porch seconds later, her eyes huge with amazement.

"Dang!" she yelled as Applejack got out. "It's even prettier than the black one!"

"Mhm. Better color," she agreed, snickering. She waved to her brother as he wandered out on the porch. "Got a good deal! This one oughta last us a while."

He rubbed his chin, contemplating the truck. "Yep."

"Heh, calm down, you're gonna hurt yourself outta excitement." A few idle pats of her jacket caused her to frown. "Hey, is my phone in there? I never did check my messages this mornin'."

"I'll get it!" Apple Bloom zipped back up the steps and into the house, leaving a perturbed-looking Big Macintosh in her wake.

"You're lookin' sour all of a sudden." She crossed her arms and glared, knowing exactly why. "What else does she have ta do ta get in your good graces?"

"Don't trust her," he mumbled, turning away and walking back inside just as the redhead appeared again with Applejack's phone.

"What's he grumpy 'bout now?" the girl asked, handing it over.

She smirked a little and shrugged. "Pff, don't worry. We're just, uh, disagreein' 'bout things. No big deal. Y'all get back in 'fore ya freeze." A little breeze brought a pleasant odor to her nose. "And tell Granny ta save me some breakfast, ya hear? I'm goin' for a walk ta stretch my legs. Ain't used ta them new-fangled seats."

"Yep!"

The blonde shuffled away, fussing with her phone as she moved through the dry powder. Her face screwed up when she realized it wouldn't turn on. "Shoot. Forgot to charge it again. I don't even know why I keep the dang thing." After slipping it into her pocket, she stared across the hills at the empty path the tornado left in the trees. Idle glances eventually brought the stream to her attention. As far as she could see, it was completely frozen over, which served to remind her how cold it was. Shivering despite her jacket, she pressed on to buy some time. The last thing she wanted was another one-sided fight with her elders over Winter, especially with Apple Bloom awake. She crested one more hill and looked back over her shoulder. It was difficult to see the house through the snowfall, so she decided now was the time to return.

Then she saw the footprints, coming from the woods to her left and going on down the hill to her right. They weren't fresh, but they were easy to track. Her eyes tracked them until she lost them in the flakes, but looking that way brought something else to her attention: there was a hole in the stream's ice. Her heart began to race. "Wait a second..."

Like a spooked deer Applejack took off, following the tracks down the slope. To her horror, they came to an end at the bank. The hole was directly in their path of travel. "Shit!" She looked around frantically, trying to see through the ice. There was too much snow covering it. She dropped to her hands and knees and tried to look through the hole. "Hey?! Damn! I can't see!" As she searched the water, someone tackled her from behind with such force she nearly fell in. "What the fuck?!" Her powerful legs lashed out and caught the assailant square, but as she scrambled away they grabbed her left ankle and yanked. She felt a pop and yelped in pain, but adrenaline was in control and she continued to flee. She was reduced, however, to limping quickly up the hill. "Help!  _Help_!"

It caught her again near the top and kicked her in the back, forcing her down. She rolled over and prepared to fight, only to be frozen stiff by what she saw.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the woman cried. Sporting a lean, deadly build and pale skin, and black hair with two thick red stripes, she was dressed in casual clothes – a blood-stained green and blue tee and urban camo patterned shorts with white sneakers. She was drenched from head to toe. As she moved, her ruby eyes glittered with grief and terror. "I have to do this! Please don't make it any harder...I'm sorry...somebody make it stop..." Two black blades extended from her palms.

"Wh-what the..." Applejack threw her arms up as the woman drew closer. "Wait! Don't eat me!"

That made her come to a halt. "What? How did you know I was going to?"

The blonde's jaw was still slackened as she processed what was going on. "Holy shit." Wincing with pain, she got to her feet and backed away. "Y'all gotta believe me. I know a woman like ya. Just like ya!"

"You're lying." Black droplets leaked from her hands and fell on the snow. "I'm s-so hungry...please,  _please_  don't fight me. It's bad enough. Don't struggle."

Her mind raced, both with desperation and sheer shock. "No no no! I ain't lyin'. I swear. I know a way to feed ya, but ya gotta trust me."

The woman wiped her eyes and relaxed a bit, but kept her ebony weapons out. "Wh—nobody's tried to make a deal with me before. Why should I believe you?"

Applejack took a breath and limped closer, hands slightly raised in submission. "Her name is Fu...well, she calls herself Winter now, but she's got that goo too. We made up a way ta feed her without havin' ta hurt anybody. I swear." She reached out and gently grabbed one of the woman's wrists, then slowly pulled her into an embrace. "I ain't gonna run...if ya promise not ta stab me. We got a deal?"

Stunned by the embrace, she dropped her arms and sent the blades away. "O-okay. It sounds better than what I've  _been_  doing. You seem really nice. I don't want to kill you."

"I know ya don't, sugarcube. We gotta get back ta the house. I'll drive ya up to the cave and explain on the way." Applejack hissed with pain as she put weight on her wounded leg. "If I can walk. I think ya broke somethin'." She squealed when the woman picked her up. "Damn! Y'all are just as strong as Fu is!"

"Tell me where to go," she demanded quietly. "We need to hurry before I lose it. I really don't want to hurt you. I really, really don't want to."

Applejack pointed in a direction and pressed her hat down as the woman began to run. "It's gonna be okay. I've done this before."

* * *

"Damn it, AJ!" Rainbow Dash dropped her phone on the couch and growled, then got up and went to the window. "Why the hell won't you answer? Why haven't you  _called_? You have to be back by now." She swallowed hard, picturing the blonde in a car accident. "I swear, if you've wrecked somewhere I'm gonna-" She jumped as her phone rang. "Finally!" Unfortunately, it was Rarity's icon on screen and not the blonde. "Aw. Hey Rare. Any word from AJ?"

"Afraid not, darling. Are you still watching the news?"

She glanced at the TV and turned up the volume. On screen was a view of the press conference, which had been interrupted for an hour now. The camera would swing between Winter, Celestia and Luna having a discussion in the corner, and Twilight who was doing an admirable job of maintaining order at the podium. Reporters and dignitaries alike were milling around all over the place, many talking on smartphones.

"If you've seen anyone matching this description," the librarian said, "call...who should they call? Oh, I don't know. I'd give you my phone number but that would probably be a bad idea. Oh! I know!" She looked over her shoulder at a couple of reporters. "You could call the news network! I'm sure they could contact me through the people here, right?" The broadcast changed seconds later, going to a split screen with a female anchor in studio and a phone number. Twilight nodded to someone off camera. "Thank you. This is really important to her...to us. Winter!" The camera tracked her as she left the podium and moved to the pale woman, but couldn't pick up her words.

"Yeah," Rainbow finally replied. "And I still don't believe it."

"Neither do I! But I'm, I don't know, glad. If this woman is alive – heaven help us if she's not – I hope she sees this and makes herself known."

"Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good, but I'm way more worried about AJ. She should have been back by now!"

"I agree. I'll keep trying her on my cordless phone, but I need to go and let this one charge. Ta ta!"

"All right, thanks. Uh..." Her face contorted at the odd farewell. "Taters to you too, Rare." Just as soon as the call was over, she dialed her girlfriend's number again. "I am this close to freaking the fuck out," she muttered, trying to stifle her trembling hands. "Please, AJ, where  _are_ you..." The ring that interrupted her attempt nearly made her leap out of her skin. "Geez! Hello?"

"Dash!"

Rainbow deflated with relief and swelled up with disdain almost as fast. "Fucking finally! Did you go to the Moon or something? I've been calling you for hours! I thought you were dead!"

"I told ya I'd be in Horseshoe Ridge all mornin' and, uh, ta be fair, I almost did die after I got back home."

"Wait, what?" The athlete sat down unsteadily. "What happened? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Sprained my ankle. Uh, Dash, I got a...well, I got a situation."

She cocked a brow and scowled. "Which means what, exactly?"

"Who are you talking to?"

Rainbow's eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice. "Um, AJ? Who is that?"

"She says her name is Summer, and she kinda tried ta eat me."

"Holy shit!" She stood up and clutched her head. "Dude! You've found her—hold the fuck on, she tried to eat you? Are you okay?"

"Found  _me_ , more like, and yeah, I'm in one piece. I could take a guess, but who's lookin' for her?"

"Oh, I don't know, try  _everybody_  ever." Rainbow laughed a little as she paced. "Where are you?"

"On my way to ya from the cave right now." Her voice shifted in tone as she addressed her passenger. "Ow...geez, y'all did a number on my ankle."

"I'm sorry! Thank you for helping me!"

"Okay. I'm going to hang up so you don't crash and call Fu." As she did, she noticed the camera was again on the three Princesses in the corner; because of this, she was able to watch Winter answer her phone almost in real time.

"Rainbow Dash? What's going on?" On screen, she looked a little worried.

"Applejack found her! She's bringing her to my apartment."

The reaction was immediate. Rainbow sat down and looked on as she hung up, turned to Twilight and said something, then left the ballroom so fast the cameramen could barely follow. With a sigh, she got up again and went to the window. "At least this is the good kind of chaos. I can't wait to see the look on her face." Against her better judgment, she opened the window and leaned out to look around. Hardly anyone was trying to brave the weather – even from up here she could only see a few people. After breathing too much icy air, she retreated and closed the window. "Man, it's too cold to fly. Hate this snow."

A few minutes later, she saw a red truck pull up to the curb below, but not the one she was expecting. In fact, she only knew who was in it when a tan Stetson waved out the driver's door. Grinning, she opened the window again and yelled down. "Nice ride! You got her?" Summer peeked out and looked up. "Yep. Hey there! Don't worry, I won't, uh..." She suddenly realized her nascent biting quip wasn't appropriate. "Never mind. Come on up. Winter's on her way."

She did just that, climbing the side of the building with sticky black goo on her palms. "Applejack has to stay in the car," she murmured on her way through the window. "I'm sorry for hurting her. I was hungry."

"I know, man, I know." Rainbow extended a hand. "My name's Rainbow Dash. I guess can be pissed at you for injuring my girlfriend later."

"Um, okay." Summer shook it briefly, taking great care to hide her palm, then looked around the apartment in awe. "It's...warm in here."

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah." She rubbed her neck and turned off the TV with an awkward smile. "How long have you been outside? No, wait, let me guess. Five years, give or take?"

"Er." She used her fingers to count, a process that took some seconds. "Close enough. I can't remember the last time I saw a clock or a calendar."

"Right, right. No memory of your past either, huh?"

Summer sat down on the couch and blinked. Rainbow noticed how she kept her hands tightly clenched. "H-how do you people know all this?"

"You'll see." A knock at the door made them jump. "It's open!"

Trixie appeared in the doorway. "I just saw someone climb past my window—oh." She beheld Summer and stared. "Never mind. I like the new color, Winter. Red suits you."

"Uh, dude?" Rainbow gave her a little smirk. "You been asleep or something?"

"I was taking a nap, yes." The athlete's demeanor made her squint. "What happened now?"

"This is Summer. Winter's on the way back to meet her. There's, uh, there's apparently more than one running around."

"Oh.  _Oh._  My goodness." Trixie approached, half-crouched and staring. "I'm not sure what to say. I'm Trixie. Winter is one of my friends."

The pale woman shyly nodded. "R-right."

Suddenly the window slid open again. Winter leaned in from the outside, but didn't enter. She first had to dismiss her wings and deal with the ice that had formed on them. so it wouldn't fall onto the crowd beginning to gather below. When she finally made it in, Summer stood up and walked closer. All they could do was stare at each other silently.

"Uh, we'll leave you two alone," Rainbow muttered, grabbing her phone off the table and leading Trixie out by the hand.

The sound of the door closing behind them was the last noise for a while. Winter and Summer sized each other up, found themselves to be exactly the same in appearance, shrank back with shock briefly, then sized each other up again. Neither had any idea what to say, and their silence dragged on  _forever_. Someone had to crack. Winter was the one who got there first. "Your hands," she said. "You have the cuts?"

Summer murmured unhappily and showed her palms. Vertical red lines ran down their centers. She winced as her twin brushed over them with her thumbs. "D-don't do that." Winter stopped and pulled her into a tight hug. "Why do I look like you? What's going on? Do you know who I am?"

"I can't believe it." She made her sit down on the couch before explaining any further. "Let me start at the beginning. What's your earliest memory?"

Utterly confused and now uncomfortable to boot, Summer stared at her dingy shoes. "I woke up in the mountains. Hungry. I had to find—kill...I don't want to talk about this." She hunched over and hid her face.

"It's okay, I already know. You had to eat someone every four days." Despite the heavy subject matter, Winter managed a smile as her twin looked up. "I lived your life." A black, gooey rope sprouted out of her palm. "I know  _exactly_  what you've been through."

Terrified of seeing that awful gunk flow from someone's else flesh, Summer scooted away and yelped. "Who  _are_  you?!" she demanded. "Where did you get that?!"

"From the same people that gave it to you." Gently, she took her twin's hands and moved closer. "My name is Winter, and for all intents and purposes we are sisters. There were four of us originally, but Spring and Autumn died during the process that bonded the sludge to our bodies. We were built to kill a woman named Twilight Sparkle." She began to weep, but never looked away from her twin. "I'm so glad you're here."

"How did—you're not supposed to know!" Summer doubled over and grabbed at the sides of her head. "I can't tell you this! It's a secret! I can't tell you!"

"It's all right. I already know everything."

Her brain was scrambled, and as a result a thing in her heart got voiced instead. "I...I tried to drown myself in the stream but it wouldn't let me die," she sobbed, doubling over with grief. "That blonde woman said she knew about the thing inside me. She promised to feed it so I let her live."

"I've tried to kill myself, too. Applejack's a friend of mine. I'm happy you trusted her."

"S-she gave me a hug!"

"I bet she did." Winter gave her another one and sniffled. "It's not supposed to be this way. You're only supposed to eat flesh if you have no other source of magic. Thankfully, I don't have to do that anymore."

"How did you stop it?" Summer looked at the black crystals. "Why don't I have those?"

She smiled, although her eyes were nervous. "You'll get them as soon as I take you back with me. I hope. If Luna doesn't have the equipment I might have to do it all myself, but I don't think I care." The thought of killing for her twin was almost pleasant. It scared a small part of her.

"Are we...are we really related?"

"More or less. We're built from the same stock of material. I guess you would call us twins." They were still hugging. Neither had the courage to break it. "I'm so happy it doesn't even feel like happiness."

"I can't be happy. I did so many bad things." Summer finally pulled away, but grabbed Winter's hands. "Who is Twilight? Is she evil?"

"Not at all. She's also a friend of mine." She frowned when this made her twin start to weep.

"Why would someone make us to kill her, then?"

Thinking about this made her angry again. To try and hide her emotion, she hung her head. "I'll explain when we go to Canterlot." She blinked when Summer did the same and leaned forward, placing their foreheads together.

"I am – are we bad?"

Winter started to cry as well. "We are..." Words escaped her. She squeezed Summer's hands and swallowed. "We are products of our circumstances. We're not evil. We just...are."

"All I've ever done is hurt people."

"Likewise. Most of whom never deserved it." The grief flowed like water between them, as if using their hands as pipes. All they could do now was weep, sit, and hold on by their fingers for dear life.

Behind them, Rainbow and Trixie were peeking around the door. "I knew it was hard for her, but damn," the athlete murmured, wiping at her cheeks with a sleeve. Trixie smirked a little at her. "What? I...it's some dust."

"Uh huh. You should go check on Applejack and meet the rest outside. I'll try to keep Pinkie calm when she gets here."

Rainbow shook her head and stood up. "Pff, fine. Good luck with that."

It didn't take long for the baker to show up after she left. The magician was stunned to see her tiptoeing down the corridor and quiet as a mouse. "Oh my gosh," she whispered once close enough. "Are they still in there?"

"Yes." They peeked in again and found the twins in the same position as earlier, still crying quietly. "I would have run out of tears by now."

"Crying's like a shower for the inside!" The baker suddenly looked crestfallen. "They've got a lot to wash off." Just as quick, she perked up again. "Do they sound alike too?"

"Not quite. Summer's voice is a little higher. Warmer. Befits her name, now that I think about it."

"Oooo, neat. Uh oh." Pinkie blanched a little when she saw them looking at her. "Uh, hi! Sorry!"

Winter shook her head with a smile. "Come on. You must be desperate to meet her."

"Eeeeeeeeeeee!" Like a bolt of lightning she tore into the room and tackled Summer in a hug. "My name's Pinkie! Fufu's my buddy!"

She blinked, both at the friendly attack and the unfamiliar name. "...who?"

"Fufu is her nickname for me."

"Oh." Summer returned the hug and managed a smile. "You smell nice. Um, can I say that?"

"Of course, silly! My whole  _job_  is making stuff that smells and tastes nice. That's like, totally a compliment."

Winter leaned back and dried her face. "Summer. Stand and pick her up. Something funny will happen."

"Huh?" She did just that and busted out laughing when Pinkie giggled and swung her legs. "It's nice to hear somebody not screaming for a change."

Trixie took all this in from the doorway, arms crossed and smiling. Her phone rang; to avoid being a distraction, she decided to answer it in the hall. "Hello?"

"Twilight tells me they've found each other."

Her eyes got wide. "Princess Luna. Yes. They're in Rainbow Dash's apartment right now with Pinkie Pie."

"Are they..." Luna paused for a long time. "Are they happy?"

"Very happy."

"Good. Good. That is all I can ask for."

"Are you crying?" Trixie glanced around uncomfortably.

"No. Yes. Perhaps. I wanted so much to tell her about Summer, but I didn't know if she still lived. I thought it better if Winter found out herself. If I lead her to a dead body, I feared it would have broken her and gotten us all killed."

"With all due respect, you should be telling her this, not me."

Luna suddenly sounded a bit gruff. "I will when they return."

"Right." Trixie couldn't figure out what else to say, or even if she should try. "Is that all?"

"Would you take a picture of them and send it to me? Please?"

She  _knew_ Luna was crying now. "Sure." She stepped back into the apartment and waved for attention. "Excuse me. Can I get a picture of you together?"

Winter and Summer looked at each other, uncertain, but Pinkie was already between them on the couch and posing. "Cheeeeeese!" she blurted out.

"I suppose," Winter finally said with a smirk. "Do you mind?"

"No." All three of them posed with smiles of varied intensity. Trixie stood in front of the TV and snapped a photo.

"All right, done. Thanks."

* * *

A few seconds later, Luna received the image on her phone in Canterlot. Celestia and Twilight were with her in the corner again, since the press conference had begun to shift toward the topic of the treaty negotiations. "They look so happy," she said, barely able to contain her emotion.

"Yeah," Twilight agreed, bearing a mighty grin. "You know, if you'd told her earlier she might have been too busy searching to do all the stuff she did."

"Granted, but," Celestia looked over at the crowd and sighed. "This was going to happen eventually anyway. Better sooner than later. Besides, if it hadn't been Winter, it might have been you."

She shrugged and watched the reporters fight to ask questions. "The who and how aren't important any longer. What  _is_ is all the work ahead. Votes to schedule, borders to redraw, people to relocate, and that's just the beginning. This could take years!"

Luna was silent during their exchange, still staring at the picture. "All that matters to me," she began, drawing their attention to her, "is that  _they_  do not have to do any of it alone." She looked up at them and tried to smile. "Do four wrongs make a right?"

"Hrm." Twilight folded her arms. "You know how I feel about what you've done. Whether or not Summer and Winter can forgive you is up to them. But..." She looked at Luna and sighed. "At least you had the good sense to make spares."

Celestia's brow furrowed. "Well, sister, I hope you're ready to live another thousand years. We might need that long to apologize."

"Hmm. It would be a millennium well spent indeed."

"Just don't try to hide it this time, huh?" Twilight found it hard to look away from the picture, and even harder not to smile and dab at her eyes. "Look at their faces. There's no substitute for real family. If anyone deserved to find that out,  _they_  did."


	23. Here They Aren't (Epilogue)

Rainbow Dash was excited to have a new neighbor, and everyone knew it – everyone being Winter and Summer, the only other people in the room with her. The twins had taken up residence in her building after a week's deliberation with Twilight about their living arrangements. The librarian was more than happy to have them, but they decided the loft wasn't enough space – and, to be fair, Summer had the notion that she was imposing despite everyone's assurances to the contrary.

This apartment was to the left of Rainbow's, and so had the honor of being a corner unit with more windows than her own. The interior, to put it simply, didn't exist yet. The twins left the room layout the same, but had stripped it to bare walls and a subfloor with their magic. As the athlete watched, they conferred briefly on what kind of floor they wanted.

"Wood? Living in a tree really has me interested in hardwoods." Summer explained.

"I like wood," Winter confirmed. "What kind?"

"Oak? Like Twilight has?"

"Hmm. Fluttershy's house is elm. I rather like the color."

Rainbow's head tilted. They looked exactly alike, but didn't sound quite the same. Summer's voice, while still even and measured like her sister's, was a little warmer. A little more chipper. Just like the season, she realized. It made her snicker. That laugh made the twins glance over. "Huh? Oh, my bad. Thought of something funny."

Summer stared for a while before continuing the discussion. "What about mahogany? I saw some in the store."

"I don't know." Winter crossed her arms and stared off. "It's not like we can't change it if we don't like it, I suppose. Let's try oak first."

"Okay."

All three of them looked to a neatly stacked collection of random material in the corner of what used to be the living room. Both twins' hands lit up with black magic – although the shimmer had highlights in it that were red or blue, depending on the user – and began snapping sections of oak flooring out of the junk. Summer took up laying them down as Winter transformed them, and in thirty seconds the living room, the connecting kitchen, and the entryway had a floor. Rainbow, fluttering above the fray, shook her head in awe. "Why don't you guys come redecorate _my_ apartment?" she asked sarcastically.

They looked up at her. "Ask the landlord," Winter replied with a wry smile, then turned to her sister. "How does it look?"

"Could use some polish..."

"I don't think it's a good idea to have wood in the kitchen," the athlete pointed out. "Shy and Twilight have to seal theirs a lot with clear gunk that smells weird."

"Oh." Summer looked at the black crystals in her hands – which were only about three days old – and frowned. "Hand me the catalog, Winter." She snatched it out of the air as her sister magically tossed it her way and thumbed through it for a few seconds. "Hm. Oh, this one looks nice."

Winter floated over to see what she was talking about. "Yes, I like that one." She snapped her fingers and whipped the oak into large, square travertine tiles of a mottled silver color. "Like this?"

"Holy fuck, man." Rainbow alighted with her hands on her head. "This is _insane_."

Both of them smiled at her, but Summer giggled faintly. "It feels as weird as it must look." She rubbed her palms on the hips of her skirt. "Itches, though."

"It didn't itch for me." Winter walked by them and looked at the tile. "Do we really need appliances?"

"Something to store drinks in."

"Mm."

In two hours, the place was fully furnished. The most time consuming part of this process was the discussion – not that the twins ever argued. Every time they talked about something it was extremely low-key and measured. Rainbow kept track of it in her head and noticed that both of them won exactly half of the 'arguments'. It freaked her out, but she kept her mouth shut. Their taste in décor was surprisingly good; Winter had no problem blaming this on exposure to Rarity. Black was used only as an accent color; most everything was blue, red, or purple if there was a compromise. Everything, that is, except the lamps on the small tables at each end of the couch. One of them was orange. The other was green. "What's with these?" she asked, pointing them out.

Neither of them would answer her. Their silence made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Never mind, I guess?" Feeling awkward, she jammed her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and wandered toward the door. "I'll get outta here so you can have some peace and quiet. Drop by if you need anything." And then she was gone.

"I don't know how to do this," Winter murmured after looking at the door for a while. "Do you?"

Summer gazed at the orange lamp. "Feels... I don't know. Inadequate?"

"Yes. We should ask someone." They sat down on the couch and sighed simultaneously. "How do we even frame the question?"

All either woman could do was stare at the inactive TV.

"Twilight would just tell us to see a therapist again," Winter blurted out. "I don't like that idea. Not right now."

"Me neither. What about one of your—our friends?"

"Mm." Her head tilted back in thought. "Applejack or Pinkie. They're the best talkers, I think."

Summer drew a smartphone from her shirt pocket. Like Winter's, it had two horizontal stripes on the back, but in red. "I like Pinkie a lot, let's ask her. I need to know how to handle it so I can explain it to you."

"All right."

It was just after noon, so she tried Sugarcube Corner first. Mr. Cake answered. "Hello there! How can I help you?" His tone was cheery, but professional. Winter blinked at it.

"Is Pinkie around? We would really like to talk to her."

"Oh, hi Summer. She's here, but I'm afraid we're all super busy. You want to leave her a message?"

Both twins frowned harshly. "Yes," Winter said. "Could you have her call us back?"

"Sure. Uh... there's not an emergency or anything, is there?"

Summer smiled reassuringly even though she knew he couldn't see it "No, no. We just want some advice. About our new apartment."

"Oh, aha, good. I'll let her know."

"Thank you." After she hung up, Winter gave her a pointed glance. "What?"

"Why is it so much easier for you to lie?" She seemed a bit grumpy – almost jealous.

"I don't know. Maybe because I've been lying to myself for a while." All she could do was slump as her twin pulled her into a hug. "Always saying to myself it would be okay. Ignore the blood. Ignore the screaming. Just eat. It'll all be fine. I guess it was, eventually, but... no. What we did was never okay."

"At least you had the capacity to understand." They embraced in silence and stayed that way for several minutes. "Maybe we _do_ need to see a therapist. At some point."

"Mmmmm."

"If Twilight can do it, so can we."

"Mrm." Summer tried to cross her arms and mope but Winter wouldn't let her. "Maybe." The phone rang and startled her a bit.

"Oh my gosh, Susu!" Pinkie blurted just as soon as the call was answered. "Why didn't you guys tell me you were moving in today?! Do you need help? I can carry a whole couch by myself! Seriously!

"...Susu?" She looked at Winter, confused, and got only a smile in return. "No, we moved in fine. We just need some advice."

"Sure! I'll do my best, anyway. Sometimes I'm not the best advice-giver, though. Like, don't ask me about writing. Or history. Or, uh... you know, stuff that doesn't have anything to do with baking or cooking or eating or partying or smiling."

Summer hesitated. Winter, shaking her head, leaned over and whispered, "She's kidding. Ask her."

"R-right. Pinkie, um..." Terrified, she leaned over to her sister. "Is this really something we should say over the phone?"

Winter put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine."

Pinkie interjected. "I don't like your tone. Er, tones. Should I come over?"

"Well?" Summer screwed up enough courage to come right out with it – finally. "You're good with feelings. How do we grieve for two sisters we've never met?"

The baker had no words. The longer she stayed quiet, the heavier the air felt. When she spoke again, her voice was weak and distressed. "I'm on my way."

"I knew she was going to say that." Winter leaned closer to the phone. "When you get off from work. We can wait."

"A-are you sure? 'Cause, man, that's some _heavy_ stuff."

Summer closed her eyes. "We're sure."

"Nnnnnh... I don't buy it! I'm on my way!"

"Pinkie! No!" both women said.

"But but but but but you guys need a friend like right the heck now!"

"We can wait," Winter assured her. "Don't get fired on our account. We'll be still be here when evening comes."

* * *

When she showed up at the door about four hours later, Pinkie looked pallid and incredibly sad. All Summer could think to do was apologize, though she didn't know for what. "I'm sorry about this. I... wait, what happened? Did something happen?"

"Erk." The baker slid past and sat with Winter on the couch. "Your question kinda punched me right in the emotional no-nos, that's all." She glanced at the out-of-place lamps and blinked. "What's up with these things? They look a little...con-spic-uous." She had some trouble with the large word.

Winter had the answer. "Spring would have been green. Autumn would have been orange."

"Wow." Pinkie didn't even try to stifle the tears. "You guys..." She tugged them into a bear hug and began to weep, but it wasn't the usual obnoxious crying. It was deeper. It was _painful_.

"I think we made a mistake," Summer said to her sister. "Pinkie, you sound terrible!"

She sounded _exhausted_ too. "I'm okay. I'm okay. Just give me a minute. Or two. Or an hour, blergh."

They embraced her gently. "You don't sound very okay," Winter noted. "What's wrong?"

"Uh..." Such a hesitant noise sounded odd coming from Pinkie's mouth. "I need to tell you guys a story. You know my three sisters?"

The twins exchanged a look. "You've mentioned them, yes," Winter said. Neither woman had met the other Pies yet, however.

"I really need to invite them down here one day... anyway, I..." Again, she hesitated. Her demeanor was so awkward it made the twins let her go. "No, no, keep huggin'. I'ma need it." She drew a long breath and sighed it out. "I'm always so happy because one time I was really really sad. Sad isn't even like, the right word. I was miserable. Super miserable."

Summer's head tilted. "Why?"

"'C-c-cause I was supposed to have four sisters, not three. My mom miscarried and oh my gosh she was so sad for so long." Pinkie hunched over and hid her eyes. "Everything was so dull and gray. Nothing had any... I dunno, pep! Meaningfulness! All I could think about was the sister I didn't have."

This sounded much too familiar for the twins. They shifted uncomfortably and muttered under their breaths.

Pinkie didn't need to hear their words. "I know, right? One day I just snapped! Not in a bad way, I mean I just couldn't be sad any more. So I threw a party."

Winter blinked this time. "A party?"

"Yeah! Just... _something_ to cheer everyone up! They didn't like it at first." The baker carefully extracted herself from their arms and stood up. "They were like, what's to celebrate?" She turned and looked down at the twins. "I said, 'us'! And then I was like, I know how bad it hurts that she isn't here, but we can't get stuck on it forever. We gotta find some way to move on! Even if it's the hardest thing we've ever done." She fell silent and moved toward the window. "It wasn't the party that helped. I think everyone getting together and admitting how bad they felt did. But I don't think the balloons hurt!" With a giggle, she faced them again and smiled. "The weird thing is, my party lead to a funeral. An official one, I mean. We put up a headstone and gave her a name. Ruby." She glanced at the lamps again and let herself frown. "How did you know their colors?"

"Luna told me when we traveled to Canterlot to get my magic infusion." Summer exhaled deeply and rested her elbows on her knees. "I still don't know how _we_ should feel about this."

Winter agreed while staring off out the window. "Neither do I."

"That's really up to you guys." Pinkie nodded sagely and sat down between them again. "I'm just sayin' that time really does heal all wounds – if it hurts, I mean. And if you wanna talk, you've got a lot of ears ready to listen!"

The twins smiled – a little, anyway. "Thanks," Summer replied. "We might need them. I guess big sister and I should hash this out on our own for a while first, though."

She smiled and nodded rapidly. "Yeah! You—wait... how do you know who's the oldest? You guys look exactly the same!"

"Luna, again. I'm only older by a minute and 47 seconds," Winter explained. "It's not a big difference."

"Hey! Pumpkin and Pound are only about two minutes apart too! I think twins are _supposed_ to be like that." Pinkie gave each a hug and stood up again. "There's one more thing..."

"Huh?" They tilted their heads at her words, in opposite directions of course.

"That's why I hugged you when you were bloody, Fufu. After the funeral... I made a promise to myself to never ever ever _ever_ let anyone feel sad if I could help it. I wasn't gonna let some blood stop me. You needed a friend. So I was your friend. Simple."

"Oh." Winter didn't quite know how to react to this, so she didn't react at all and just stared.

Pinkie giggled and patted her on the head. "You're welcome. Welp! I'd better go home before it starts snowing _agaiiiiiin_ gosh I wish it'd stop. Unless you want me to stick around?"

A silent discussion happened. Summer was the one to speak its results. "No, we should probably take it from here."

They said their goodbyes. Once Pinkie was out the door, the twins stood in the entryway as if unable to make themselves move. "I still don't know what to think," Winter admitted.

"Same." Summer finally got her legs going and wandered to the window. The sunset was already well underway, but its fringes were being choked by the snowstorm moving in from the west. "I don't know if I want to bury people I've never even met, but the lamps just seem... I'm not sure. Not enough?" Her sigh caused a fog to spread against the panes.

"We could create them."

Her eyes got wide as she spun around. "What?" Winter had her back turned. "What do you mean?"

"I have all the project documentation – rather, Twilight has it in the library basement. I know exactly how we were built. I could build them." She approached Summer with an odd glimmer in her eyes. It was uncertain. And yet, hopeful. "Then there would be four. Like there were _supposed_ to be."

"I don't know." The idea was too much for her to handle. "Do you want to make more of _us?"_

_"_ They wouldn't be us. They'd never have to do the things we did." Winter walked over and placed her hands on Summer's shoulders. "Wouldn't it be nice to have three sisters instead of one?"

She stared right into those frigid turquoise eyes and scowled. "Are you asking me to agree to this because you still feel lonely?"

Her twin didn't yield an inch. "Don't you?"

"I just met you. I haven't had _time_ to feel lonely yet."

Both of them were stunned. This was by far the closest they'd come to a disagreement; deeply rattled, they broke away from each other and went to opposite corners, as if they'd been boxing. No words would come. They weren't even sure speaking was the right thing to _do._

"Not that I don't-" Winter rubbed her head and winced. "Love you? I don't even know what the word is supposed to mean."

Something drove them to sit together. "I don't either. But I know I feel differently about you than anyone else."

"Yes. Maybe we should ask about that too, some time."

Summer nudged her sister for attention. "I don't feel comfortable just pulling relatives out of thin air. We need some more advice, I think."

"You're right. But who should we ask?"

Almost at once their eyes lit up with an answer, though all they did was nod at each other without saying a word.

* * *

They waited, sitting on Winter's idea like an egg waiting to be hatched for two days, but neither mentioned it out loud. It wasn't necessary. All their words were transferred through expressions and body language and on occasion, simple stares during conversations about entirely different topics. Eventually, the ringing of Winter's phone brought the issue to the fore again.

"Hello?" she answered after plucking it from the kitchen counter.

"Could one or both of you guys come over here for a minute?" It was Spike.

The pale woman blinked and put the call on speaker so Summer could hear. "What's going on?"

"Twilight is having a _Twilight_ , if you get my drift."

"A what?" Summer blinked with confusion.

Winter sighed faintly and put a hand on her hip. "What is she panicking about?"

"The goo. I don't know why. I asked if it was bothering her or whatever but she said no. I... you'll have to ask her. I don't get any of it."

"Oh." Her twin was already off the couch and heading toward the window. "We're on our way."

"I guess we have no choice now, huh?"

"Depends on how bad this is." Winter slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and followed. "Twilight has a tendency to overreact. I suppose I do too on occasion."

They hurled themselves from the window and into the bitterly cold air, though they never landed on the street. Their black wings sprouted forth and allowed them to glide until they chose to power their flight. Spike met them on the library's front stoop right after they arrived. "She's in the kitchen," he said, thumbing over his shoulder. "Good luck."

Their search didn't take long; Twilight was seated at the kitchen table, wringing her hands quickly and staring into the aether. She only noticed the twins when they shut the door to the public space behind them. "Oh! I didn't know you were going to drop by." Her voice was pleasant, but oddly high-pitched and nervous. "What's up?"

They sat down at the table, sizing up her body language. Winter took up speaking. "Spike called us over. He said you were having... a moment."

"H-huh? Oh. I, uh..." Her hands stopped moving. She placed them palm up on the table and let two black stalks sprout from her palms and sway happily. They lingered for a few seconds before retreating. "I w-was on the phone earlier and I thought – no, I didn't even _think._ I just had a shadow of a notion that I wanted a cookie and the goo came out of my free hand and shot across the room and grabbed the bag for me! It's so much faster than my telekinesis! I don't know how to deal with it!"

"You'll-" Summer paused and rolled her eyes around. "Get used to it? You won't. I mean, you'll... uh. Accept it. Maybe? Winter, give me a hand."

Her sister was infinitely more blunt. "Why does it bother you? The goo won't hurt you. Let it help if it wants."

"B-but..." Twilight cocked a brow and sighed. "Man. Your logic cuts like a knife sometimes. I guess I'm just not accustomed to the idea of playing host to another living thing." Her words were met by blank stares. "I-I mean, not that you are either! Are you? Heck, I don't know. Is it... is it ever pleasant for either of you? Having it do things for you?"

Summer shrugged a little. "Now? I guess it could be pleasant. Convenient."

"I don't know if I could ever call it that," her sister sighed.

"Erk. Right." She slumped over and groaned. "I don't know why liking this stuff scares me. Maybe I'm afraid I'll start having a taste for flesh or something."

Winter was somewhat more gentle this time. " _That_ is a legitimate concern. If you haven't felt a need to eat by now, though, I doubt you will."

Twilight rose from her chair and began to pace. Her steps were slow and calm. "Ugh. I feel so stupid. Celestia was right about me being so high-strung. Usually I'd be a lot worse than this by now, but I can't seem to muster a lot of raw panic these days. Maybe I've burned myself out."

"Or you really _are_ getting used to it." Winter motioned for her to come back and sit. "Is anything else bothering you?"

It took a while, but she did return to her chair. "No, not really. My body's stopped changing." They all looked at her arms. She wasn't muscular like the twins – apparently the goo had settled on lean and speedy-looking, like Rainbow Dash, instead. "Physically, I haven't felt this good in ages. I... I don't even need my reading glasses anymore. Did it fix my eyes?"

Summer nodded gently. "If it thought they weren't healthy, probably so."

"Wow."

They let it sink in before Winter changed the subject. "We want to talk to _you_ about something now."

"Huh? Okay." Twilight folded her arms on the table and tried to smile. "About what?"

Neither twin could make themselves say it at first until Summer, getting more agitated with each quiet second, stood up and leaned on the table. "Winter wants to make two more of us to replace our sisters."

"Yes I—wait, what did you say?" Winter also stood once the way her sister had framed her idea hit home. "Replace?"

"Yes, replace! They wouldn't be the original ones, just clones."

"But I miss them. I... I don't even know who they were! How can I miss them so much?!"

"You're supposed to! I think you're supposed to. I don't know."

The librarian thought about interjecting, but decided to stay quiet and let the conversation roll. Unfortunately, just as she made this choice, the talking ended and both women looked at her. "D-don't mind me!" she said with a tiny wave. "Keep going."

"No," Winter denied. "What do you think?"

"I think Summer is right. They wouldn't be your sisters. I'm sorry, but they're gone. Not even _we_ can bring them back." Her heart sank as the twins dropped slowly back into their seats. "I'm sorry."

"That one hurts," Summer muttered. All Winter could do was nod.

"The best you can do is remember them. I know it doesn't make sense right now, but it will. The memories of people we love, or loved, stay with us for our whole lives. In some way, those memories keep them alive, even if you never really knew them. Even just thinking about them counts." Twilight wiped her eyes with her sleeve and sighed. " _How_ you remember your sisters is up to you, though. Nobody else can determine that."

The twins cast a sad look at each other, then straightened and regarded the librarian. "I think the answer has been in front of us for a while now," Summer said.

* * *

The morning after, Applejack and Rainbow Dash crunched through the snow together in the barren orchard, following a trail of several different sets of footprints to keep them on the right path.

"Think we're late?" the athlete asked, raising the hood on her black hoodie to deflect the piercing cold.

"Nah, they wouldn't start without us." She was clad in black too – a black jacket and black slacks, the fanciest pair of pants she owned. Even her precious Stetson had a black band where the brim met the crown.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't even know why I asked."

They crested the hill and saw a crowd waiting on the next rise, under the huge oak tree and next to the burned-out shell of the old Apple farmhouse. Twilight, Spike, Pinkie, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy and Trixie were there. When they arrived, a few minutes were spent greeting and chatting a bit with everyone.

"Rest'll be along in a minute," Applejack advised once the talking died down. She searched the cloudless sky. "When did they say they were comin'?"

Twilight checked her wristwatch. "In about ten minutes."

Pinkie, bouncing in the snow, couldn't help but make an observation. "We look super-depressing, you guys." She had a point. Everyone was clad in various levels of black.

"Solemn, darling," Rarity corrected. "We look solemn."

The baker crossed her arms. "I'm gonna stick with super-depressing."

Movement caught their eye as Granny Smith lead Big Macintosh down the adjacent hillside. Apple Bloom was on his shoulder, looking torn between the happiness of seeing friends and the sadness of the event itself. When they walked up, she jumped from his grasp and tackled Sweetie in a hug.

"Can't thank ya enough for this," Applejack said, nudging her brother in the side. "Means a lot."

He shrugged. "Guess ya finally convinced us 'bout them two."

She chuckled lowly. "And it only took, what, a month?"

Twilight pointed to the sky. "Here they come."

Summer and Winter slipped effortlessly through the air, trailing little specks of color behind their ebony wings. They landed with a crouching flourish – it looked fancy, but the point was to stop a huge column of snow from spraying everywhere as their wings flared. Both of them wore the same dress, black, flowing, strapless and sleeveless, made from the gunk within. It was so long it swept away their footprints as they walked through the crowd and to the headstones, then turned to face everyone.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Winter stated. "We wanted to do this as quickly as possible."

"What are friends for, after all?" Trixie said with a smile.

"Hmmm." Summer was interested in the markers. "I didn't see these when I came through here the first time. No wonder you picked this spot."

"What better place to remember them than the one where we were saved?"

They began to secrete the goo from their palms – a large amount, flowing like oil and sticking to the air. Not a drop hit the snow. Once they each had a large bubble of it before them, it hardened into the shape of headstones and broke free from their palms. Since they couldn't levitate the goo markers, they had to pick them up and place them manually on the other side of the massive oak's trunk from the current graves. After they were set, each woman scooped up a handful of snow and pressed it into bows of shimmering ribbon. Winter placed the green one on one marker, while Summer placed the orange one on the other. The crowd followed them, but neither saw it until they were done with their work.

"We should say something," Summer advised. "But what?"

"Whatever we want." Winter looked at the graves and deflated subtly. "I don't know what to say about someone I never knew. Only that I'm sad I never knew you. I wish you could see us now. I wish you were here."

Summer took a breath and carried on as her sister got quiet. "But these aren't just your graves. There are thousands buried here, in spirit. All the nameless victims of the old Summer. Of the old Winter. Here lie our regrets. If we can't run from them, at least we can give them a place to catch their breath while they chase us."

"A place for us to apologize for them until eternity passes away."

"A place for us to hold on... and let go."

The twins turned to regard their friends. Some of them were crying – Pinkie loudest of all – but others like Rarity and Trixie were fighting to remain dignified. It made them smile for an inexplicable reason.

"That was nice, man...uh..." Rainbow clammed up as she drew attention. "Wh-what? I'm not crying. My eyes are cold."

Applejack shook her head and put her hat back on. "Sure, Dash. Sure."

Winter glanced around and blinked. "Everything looks different."

"More colorful," Summer agreed. "Even if it is just white forever."

"Perhaps it's hope that we can finally forgive ourselves."

"You guys!" Pinkie broke ranks and tackled them. Twilight and Rarity weren't far behind. Soon, everyone except Big Macintosh and Granny Smith had closed on them on a weepy hug. Everyone was crying now.

Except Summer. Except Winter. As far as they could tell, there wasn't much reason for them to be sad anymore.


End file.
